Blanks was born in Del Rio, Texas, one of Herbert and Hannah Mae Blanks\' eight children. When he was twelve years old, Blanks competed in the 1962 Little League World Series with Val Verde County Little League. Besides baseball, he played basketball and track and was a quarterback for San Felipe High School\'s football team. Upon graduation, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft.\n', '

Blanks was named team MVP in his first professional season with the Pioneer League\'s Magic Valley Cowboys. It was around this time he acquired the nickname "Sugar Bear" from teammates Ralph Garr and Darrell Evans due to his aggressive batting style. During his fourth minor league season, he received his first call up to the majors when Braves left fielder Rico Carty went on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis.\n', '

Having been used all over the infield in the minors. Blanks played second base primarily in 1972. He ended his first month in the majors with a .415 batting average, but cooled off to .329 by the end of the season. During the off-season, regular second baseman Félix Millán was dealt to the New York Mets, seemingly opening the door for Blanks to inherit the second base job until the Braves acquired Davey Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles four weeks later. Instead, Blanks spent the first two months of the 1973 season as a pinch hitter and pinch runner for Atlanta before being demoted to the triple A Richmond Braves at the end of May. Blanks batted .261 with twenty home runs and 82 runs batted in over two seasons at Richmond before receiving a call back up to the majors in September 1974.\n', '

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