Infielder Alex Blandino signed a minor league deal with the Reds back in November but he will reportedly be attempting a move to the mound. Per Fernando Rayo of 8 Deportivo out of Nicaragua, the CAA client will be trying to become a knuckleballer (Links to Spanish-language X posts) and will report to Double-A. MLBTR has confirmed the report with the note that Blandino does not have an invite to major league camp at this time.
Blandino, 31, has 135 games of major league experience, which all came with the Reds over the 2018-2021 period. He played all four infield positions and the outfield corners, having hit .226/.339/.291 in 279 plate appearances. He played in the minors in 2022 with the Giants and Mariners but didn’t crack the majors. He played for Nicaragua during the 2023 World Baseball Classic in the spring but then didn’t sign elsewhere until the minor league deal with the Reds in November.
The move to the mound doesn’t come completely out of nowhere, as he has made five major league appearances as a pitcher. Those appearances even included a knuckleball, as highlighted here by this post on X by Pitching Ninja from 2018. In a 2021 appearance, Bladino’s fastball hit 90 mph, as relayed by Cut4 on X.
Those are a couple of intriguing elements that could perhaps give Blandino a better path back to the majors than as a light-hitting utility infielder. Knuckleballers are a unique breed and don’t always need strong velocity to succeed, but Blandino’s ability to hit 90 mph doesn’t hurt. But on the other hand, it’s unclear if he could maintain that kind of velocity while pitching on a regular basis over a full season.
For the Reds, there’s no harm in letting Blandino take a shot and see what happens. For fans of the knuckleball, it will be an exciting development to watch, especially with the pitch having largely disappeared from the majors since R.A. Dickey’s retirement.
Me too.
Good luck, Alex
Alex Baldwin attempting to become an actor (unarmed of course)
That’s Alec with a C, but the ex is for ex actor
This could be fun to watch
You love to see it.
Remember Anthony Gose?
I will never not support a knuckleballer.
R.Amen
As fun as that sounds, it’s silly to go about throwing a pitch that is so rare these days very few catchers likely can catch it well.
Very few catchers these days can catch a fast ball well.
Truth..
And very few umpires can call balls and strikes correctly on balls that move way less.
True
Yea you make a good point. As a jays fan R.A. Dicky came with a personal catcher essentially. Thole i believe was his name, a super light hitting LHH catcher that was just OK as a catcher. If i remember correctly Rus Martin hurt him self a few times catching the Knuckleball from Dicky. Also theres a good YT video that says almost and round ball has shown the ability to knuckle, baseball, basketball, volleyball etc. the KEY seems to be between a 5-10mph gap in baseball, tho i dont remember the exact numbers. Its a pitch that is thrown to have bo spin, or as little as possible to the point it makes 3 or less rotations from pitch to catch. Even the cather and pitcher dont know exactly where ot will go, I think a flutterball is a more appropriate/accurate name as it flutters from side to side, up and down and every which way. I suggested those interested go looking for the YT video, could be sport science but again unsure, it shows basketballs doing it to and what range each ball has to hit including the no spin to be a true effective knuckle ball. I always thought a knuckleball guy would do amazing if he could go out for the 6th thru 8th innings after a guy throwing 96+ then followed by a closer throwing gas
Not sure if it was intended, but your comment reads like a knuckleball…. slow and meandering.
There is a documentary called Knuckleball! that is available to watch… somewhere.
I don’t know if we’ll ever have a knuckleballer with the aura of Dickey ever again. Iirc, he was originally a very high draft pick out of u tennesee… until it was discovered that he didn’t have a UCL.
From there, his odyssey began. An avid mountain climber with a mountain-man look on the mound, his knuckler was, at its peak, befuddling. And yes, he came with his own catcher (Thole). After his Cy Young win, he was flipped (smartly) to the Blue Jays for Noah Syndergaard, Gerson Bautista, and… someone I am forgetting.
He never replicated his Cy Young success, but was always an intriguing watch. One of the great stories from the annals of baseball legend.
Mets got Syndergaard, John Buck, & Travis d’Arnaud for Dickey, Josh Thole, and Mike Nickeas – the two catchers that caught Dickey the most.
Dang, I forgot TDA.
PTSD for letting him go too soon ;(
Really? It’s the catchers job to be a catcher. You should be embarrassed by that comment.
More like a chaser.
-Bob Uecker
Was is Uecker that used to say the best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling then pick it up?
Yep.. that was Ueker.. lol
“a pitch that is so rare these days very few catchers likely can catch it well.”
Catchers had difficulty catching it back in the day, too. If the catcher is having trouble, presumably the hitter is having just as much difficulty hitting it, no?
My reaction too. If a catcher has trouble catching it then a hitter has trouble hitting it. Good hitters can hit 100 mph fastballs but good luck trying to square up a good knuckleball. If Blandino can throw it for strikes and he can mix in a ML fastball I think he might be on to something.
what ever happened to Mickey Jannis’s attempt to make it as a knuckleballer? I thought that he’d make it back with the pitch. shhhh… maybe that’s the Oriole pitcher everyone has been waiting for them to sign…
Dan Johnson tried to become a knuckleballer a few years back after being a AAAA first baseman for most of his career. I am pretty sure he was in his late 30s when he tried to switch. Blandino is attempting it at a much better age. Most knuckleballers don’t seem to become great pitchers until well into their 30s. At 31 he will have plenty of time to master the pitch. When I was a kid I. The 80s I saw one of the Niekro Brothers throw knuckleballs at laughable speeds. In high school I decided to give it a shot myself. I spent nearly a full summer on it and tried to throw it at least a few thousand times. I managed to throw 1 perfect no spin knuckleball. 1. I wish him all the luck in the world cause it’s a tough pitch!!
Jannis made it to the show for one game with the orioles back in 2021 but the Astros lit him up. Always loved his story and am happy he can at least say he made it.
They can rush Doug Mirabelli back from retirement to catch him!
Geno Petralli probably still has Charlie Hough nightmares.
If you can master the knuckleball you can write your own ticket. I hope this guy is successful at it
Same here!
Mlb needs knuckleballers.
Should be a rule.
George Kirby threw a beautiful knuckler to Corey Seager
Love the knuckle ball. Incredible pitch.
Also a guaranteed stolen base with a halfway decent runner on first, though.
Especially with the new rules in place. I wonder if MLB has inadvertently killed off one of its most endangered and beloved species…
Johnny Bench told us the best way to catch a knuckleball.
“Wait until it stops rolling and pick it up.”
Johnny also told the story of how Sparky Anderson went to Bench and said they had a shot at getting Phil Niekro in a trade. Bench said “Well, you’d better trade for his catcher, too”.
I miss the days of RA Dickey and Steven Wright. Knuckleballers are a lot of fun
Anything that keeps you in the game, man.
Too bad both Niekro brothers are gone. They had it mastered.
Anybody ever hear a Matt Waldron?
Don’t know that the Reds ever had a knuckleballer. If they did, it was before my time.
Yes, we wore gloves back then.
No, we didn’t wear leather helmets in high school football.
And get off my lawn!
Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of knuckleballers. Even includes guys who threw it only a handful of times. Some fun ‘I remember that guy’ pitchers on the list:
oddball-mall.com/knuckleball/list.htm
Fun link. Thanks!
Jared Fernandez in the aughts. Threw a pretty hard one, like 80 mph or so
I think Wakefield threw a pretty hard one too.
MLB is always better with at least one Knuckler in the league. From Neikro, to Candiotti, to Wakefield, to Dickey, Good luck I’m pulling for you.
I forgot about RA Dickey being a knuckleballer
This is awesome! Good luck, Alex!
I hope he makes it back. He’s a good guy.
Yeah definitely. Speaking of good guys, did you see Lucas Sims’ interview today on Locked On Reds Podcast? I watch it on YouTube. What a great a guy. I bumped into him at RedsFest with my wife. He’s her 2nd favorite player now (after McLain).
They have a lot of good guys on this club. The young guys are a good group.
You have to admire someone like Friedl, who fought and scratched for everything he got. But I think my favorite right now is Steer. Does his business well, doesn’t make a big deal about it, will play anywhere, doesn’t complain, very humble.
I’m pulling for you, Blandino!
Knuckle ball velocity Deferred.
Love a knuckleballer! I hope you succeed Alex!
Who doesn’t!?!? Haha
In other words, nothing new to report
I want to see the screwball make a comeback
Tom Browning, RIP, he had a good one.
Who hasn’t dreamed of trying to be a knuckleball pitcher?
Thise of us who played baseball, all of us tried to fool around with one on the side. Controlling it and being good with it, there’s a rare breed.
I like it. Knuckleball pitchers are rare and fun to watch.
It’s a shame Tim Wakefield is no longer with us to pass on his knowledge of the knuckleball. Wakefield RIP
I hope one day we see a bit of a resurgence. It would be great to have more than one or two guys throwing it in the bigs.
Bring it on! Baseball is better with the knuckleball.
At least we get a second shot at getting something from our former #1 draft pick.