Indian Head gold pieces was modified by Barber, was "worthy of J.J. Audubon". Dies for the half eagle were sent to the mints in Denver and San Francisco; both western mints reported difficulties in striking the new pieces. Landis wrote to his counterparts at the other mints, advising them that the planchets, or blanks, needed to be shaved very slightly to strike properly. The new coins proved to be thinner than earlier coins of their denomination, due to the field being raised above the design. This meant that automated sorting machines could not reliably sort them when mixed with earlier coins. The new gold
Kyle Blanks up a spot in the outfield. Blanks also picked up a number of starts at first base in June while Yonder Alonso was on the disabled list with a broken hand. Blanks himself went to the disabled list on July 12 with tendinitis in his left heel. He returned on August 31 after a rehab assignment and spent the rest of the season with the club. For the year, Blanks set a career high with 88 games played and 71 starts. He hit .243 in 280 at-bats with 8 home runs. Blanks was chosen to start the 2014 season in