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Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980, in Nashville, Tennessee) is a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball.
He graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School (Kentucky) in 1999. He pitched three seasons for the University of Kentucky. He posted a 13–12 record from 2000 to 2002, and led the Southeastern Conference with 133 strikeouts in his final season, finishing with a 4.59 ERA.
Blanton was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the New York Yankees' first round pick (24th overall) in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft, acquired as compensation for the loss of free agent Jason Giambi. In 2003, while pitching for the Kane County Cougars and the Midland RockHounds, he ranked second in all of minor league baseball with a combined 174 strikeouts.