Reds Infielder Alex Blandino is Making a Move That Few Would Attempt

Blandino to move from the infield to the mound...and throw a knuckleball

Author:
Jeff Carr
Publish date:
Jan 24, 2024 11:54 AM EST

In this story:

The Cincinnati Reds signed Alex Blandino to a minor league contract in November. That news probably didn’t get your attention, but there's a development to it that should.

Fernando Rayo of 8 Deportivo out of Nicaragua is reporting that a few days ago that Blandino will move from the infield to the mound and become a knuckleball pitcher. Blandino doesn't currently have an invite to big league spring training and is expected to begin his knuckleball quest in Double-A Chattanooga.

Blandino has been a utility infielder for the Reds in parts of three seasons, while also spending time in the minors with the Mariners and Giants since 2021. It’s clear he will not make much of a career by continuing to do what he’s always done. Becoming a knuckleballer is one heck of a turn, though.

This doesn’t come out of left field. Blandino has five appearances on the mound for the Reds. His appearance in 2018 was against Cleveland where he threw what Pitching Ninja called a “perfect knuckleball.”

The move that Blandino is trying to make will be difficult and almost impossible to predict. Knuckleballers are very rare in MLB history and almost non-existent in Reds history. You Have to go back to 1964 for the last year the Reds had a knuckleballer. His name was Bob Purkey. He won 103 games for the Reds from 1958 to 1964.

It remains to be seen if Blandino’s gamble will pay off. It'll be exciting to see how it goes and hopefully he makes it to the majors as the Reds next knuckleballer.

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