Larvell Blanks
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1972-1980)
Larvell Blanks was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1980 for the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Texas Rangers, a span of 9 seasons. In 629 career games, he hit .253 with 446 hits, 20 home runs, and 172 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 167 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1972-07-19
- Last Game
- 1980-08-03
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 629 | 1,766 | 203 | 446 | 57 | 14 | 20 | 172 | 9 | 132 | 178 | .253 | .302 | .335 | .637 | -2,602 |
Career AVG .253 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .302 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.
Career SLG .335 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.
Career OPS .637 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | ATL | NL | 33 | 85 | 10 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 12 | .329 | .243 (+35%) | .310 (+21%) | .353 (+20%) | .664 (+20%) | 271.7 |
| 1973 | ATL | NL | 17 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | ATL | NL | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | ATL | NL | 141 | 471 | 49 | 110 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 4 | 38 | 43 | .234 | .257 (-9%) | .327 (-11%) | .374 (-22%) | .701 (-17%) | -1212.4 |
| 1976 | CLE | AL | 104 | 328 | 45 | 92 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 41 | 1 | 30 | 31 | .280 | .255 (+10%) | .320 (+5%) | .360 (+9%) | .681 (+7%) | 384.9 |
| 1977 | CLE | AL | 105 | 322 | 43 | 92 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 38 | 3 | 19 | 37 | .286 | .264 (+8%) | .329 (-2%) | .401 (-1%) | .730 (-1%) | -109.7 |
| 1978 | CLE | AL | 70 | 193 | 19 | 49 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 16 | .254 | .257 (-2%) | .323 (-12%) | .378 (-11%) | .702 (-11%) | -393.4 |
| 1979 | TEX | AL | 68 | 120 | 13 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 9 | .200 | .265 (-25%) | .329 (-21%) | .397 (-33%) | .727 (-28%) | -563.2 |
| 1980 | ATL | NL | 88 | 221 | 23 | 45 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 16 | 27 | .204 | .264 (-23%) | .326 (-22%) | .387 (-33%) | .714 (-28%) | -980.3 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 629 | 1,766 | 203 | 446 | 57 | 14 | 20 | 172 | 9 | 132 | 178 | .253 | — | — | — | — | -2,602 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (629 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 320 | 865 | 111 | 219 | 14 | 83 | .253 |
| Away | 309 | 901 | 92 | 227 | 6 | 89 | .252 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-08-03 | ATL | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-08-02 | ATL | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-08-01 | ATL | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-07-27 | ATL | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980-07-26 | ATL | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-07-25 | ATL | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980-07-25 | ATL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-07-23 | ATL | WSN | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980-07-22 | ATL | WSN | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980-07-21 | ATL | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 124 | 95 | 228 | 264 | 9 | 56 |
| 3B | 71 | 54 | 37 | 144 | 12 | 13 |
| SS | 407 | 291 | 463 | 932 | 62 | 176 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | ATL | 2B | 18 | 15 | 38 | 55 | 0 | 12 |
| 1972 | ATL | 3B | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | ATL | SS | 4 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | ATL | 2B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | ATL | 3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | ATL | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | ATL | SS | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975 | ATL | 2B | 12 | 10 | 29 | 24 | 2 | 7 |
| 1975 | ATL | SS | 129 | 121 | 183 | 414 | 25 | 68 |
| 1976 | CLE | 2B | 46 | 40 | 93 | 104 | 7 | 25 |
| 1976 | CLE | 3B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | CLE | SS | 56 | 39 | 59 | 109 | 4 | 28 |
| 1977 | CLE | 2B | 12 | 7 | 15 | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 1977 | CLE | 3B | 18 | 16 | 11 | 42 | 3 | 3 |
| 1977 | CLE | SS | 66 | 45 | 74 | 116 | 8 | 21 |
| 1978 | CLE | 2B | 17 | 10 | 25 | 31 | 0 | 3 |
| 1978 | CLE | 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | CLE | SS | 43 | 36 | 56 | 107 | 13 | 22 |
| 1979 | TEX | 2B | 16 | 12 | 26 | 25 | 0 | 6 |
| 1979 | TEX | SS | 49 | 27 | 39 | 65 | 3 | 16 |
| 1980 | ATL | 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | ATL | 3B | 43 | 32 | 21 | 89 | 9 | 10 |
| 1980 | ATL | SS | 56 | 18 | 43 | 100 | 8 | 21 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 124 |
| Third Base | 71 |
| Shortstop | 407 |
| Designated Hitter | 11 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Larvell Blanks (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Larvell Blanks: the record in brief
Larvell Blanks's major league career runs from a debut on July 19, 1972 to a final game on August 3, 1980. By club, Blanks's seasons break down as the Atlanta Braves (1972 to 1980), the Cleveland Indians (1976 through 1978), and the Texas Rangers (1979). Born on January 28, 1950, in Del Rio, TX, USA, Blanks is listed as a shortstop and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5'8" and 167 pounds.
Blanks collected 446 hits in 1,766 at bats across 629 games, good for a .253 batting average, adding 20 homers and 172 RBI. Reaching base at a .302 clip and slugging .335, Blanks finished with a .637 OPS. Blanks hit .253 while the league hit .258 over the same span, a figure close to average. The hits column peaks at 110, in 1975. Blanks drove in a season-high 41 runs in 1976. 1977 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .286 against a league .264, an 8% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Larvell Blanks
- What years did Larvell Blanks play?
- Larvell Blanks played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1980.
- Was Larvell Blanks a pitcher?
- No. Larvell Blanks was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Larvell Blanks hit?
- Larvell Blanks hit 20 career home runs with 446 hits.
- What was Larvell Blanks's career batting average?
- Larvell Blanks batted .253 over his career, with 446 hits in 1,766 at bats.
- How many RBI did Larvell Blanks have?
- Larvell Blanks drove in 172 runs in his career.
- Is Larvell Blanks in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Larvell Blanks has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.