Pirates Prospect Delivering on Power Potential
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are always looking for their next power hitter to come through the farm system, and one player is clearly doing that in 2026.
Tony Blanco Jr. has turned in a solid season for High-A Greensboro and continued his impressive power hitting he had from 2025, showing promise for his future.
He just had an incredible past two games, as he hit two home runs in back-to-back games vs. Bowling Green (Tampa Bay Rays) on the road, getting him up to 23 home runs on the season.
It was another impressive showing from Blanco, who has the potential to become a great home run hitter in the major leagues.
Overview of Tony Blanco Jr.'s 2026 Season
This season was a big one for Blanco to show the Pirates he could stay on the field and produce how they expected him to.
Blanco has played in 70 of 110 games for Greensboro, which might not seem like much, but after just playing a career-high 40 games in 2023, with 30 games each of the past two seasons and eight games in 2022.
He has taken advantage of this time on the field, batting .264/.352/.606 for an OPS of .958, with 67 hits, 16 doubles, 23 home runs, 54 RBI and 31 walks to 82 strikeouts.
Blanco struggled a bit in April, with just two home runs, but has hit at least four home runs per month, with a great May, six home runs, and an even better showing in August, with seven home runs.
Tony Blanco Jr. Home Runs + Slash Line By Month in 2026
Month | Home Runs | Slash Line |
|---|---|---|
April | 2 | .213/.300/.361 (.661 OPS) |
May | 6 | .264/.338/.597 (.935 OPS) |
June | 4 | .226/.317/.528 (.845 OPS) |
July | 4 | .229/.270/.629 (.899 OPS) |
August | 7 | .370/.500/.891 (1.391 OPS) |
He is batting .370/.500/.891 for an OPS of 1.391 in August, with 17 hits in 46 at-bats, three doubles, those seven home runs, 11 RBI and also 10 walks to 14 strikeouts.
Blanco is tied for the South Atlantic League with seven home runs this month. His 23 home runs on the season rank fourth-most, with Greensboro teammate Jhonny Severino leading with 29 home runs.
The only thing that has slowed Blanco down this season was him missing a little more than a month on the injured list, June 21-July 24, but he's been excellent since returning, batting .333/.422/.859 for an OPS of 1.281 in the second half of 2026.
What Blanco's Future Looks Like With Pirates
Blanco turned 21 years old in May and is still quite young, despite joining the Pirates for $900,000 in the 2022 International Signing Period.
He is technically eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason, with this being his fifth season after signing as an international player, but it's unlikely a team takes him this year.
Blanco has serious power and his 6-foot-7, 243-pound frame makes it easy to see why he drives balls far out of the ballpark and then some.
He returned from injury in 2025 and put up some incredible exit velocities at Single-A Bradenton, with the hardest hit home run in the minor leagues at 119.8 mph.
Blanco also showed it off in the Arizona Fall League, with the longest home run at 464 feet, winning the AFL Home Run Derby by beating out Pirates rookie Esmerlyn Valdez, and also hitting a double 120.4 mph, the second-hardest hit ball in baseball last season, short of Oneil Cruz's 122.3 mph record-setting home run per Statcast (since 2015).
This season has been a good one for Blanco, who has been healthy and shown his power more consistently.
It'll be up to him to figure out how to do that at Double-A Altoona and going forward if he hopes to make the major leagues in the coming years.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.