Best Of The Oakland Athletics: Top 10 Utility Seasons
By Phil Watson
9. Lance Blankenship, 1992
| Year ▾ | Age | G | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 28 | 123 | 446 | 59 | 84 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 21 | 7 | 82 | 57 | .241 | .393 | .341 | .734 | 114 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/16/2014.
STARTS: 28 at 2B, 9 at 3B, 7 in LF, 2 in RF, 1 at DH
GAMES: 45 at 2B, 18 in LF, 14 at 3B, 11 in RF, 6 at DH
Blankenship was the A’s Swiss army knife in 1992 and performed well wherever he was asked to play for the AL West champions.
Blankenship primarily batted in the No. 9 spot when he played, making 68 starts there and hitting .266/.400/.384 with 36 runs, 15 doubles, three homers and 20 RBI. He also made 20 starts in the leadoff spot and 11 in the No. 2 hole, where he did not fare as well.
Blankenship did tail off in the second half after putting up a .250/.391/.342 slash line in 78 games before the All-Star break, scoring 32 runs with 13 doubles, a triple, a homer, 19 RBI and 17 stolen bases.
Blankenship started four of the six games of the ALCS against the Blue Jays, all at second base. He was 3-for-13 with two runs, a stolen base and three walks as the A’s lost in six games.