Travis Jankowski

Offensively, he set a school record for most stolen bases in one season, with 30 in 34 attempts, and he was 14th among all college baseball players in the nation for stolen bases.

His .355 batting average was the second-highest in the America East Conference.

Travis Paul Jankowski (born June 15, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners.

Jankowski was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Jankowski was born on June 15, 1991, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

His mother, Kelly, played softball, while his father, Paul, was an outfielder for Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Jankowski and his older brother, Tyler, were both coached by their father from a young age.

In addition to weight training before school in the morning and team practice in the afternoon, Jankowski would practice batting by hitting into a net that his father built in their basement.

As a Pennsylvania native, Jankowski and his family grew up supporting the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).

While attending Lancaster Catholic High School, Jankowski played on both the baseball team, as an outfielder, and on the gridiron football team, as a wide receiver.

He battled a series of injuries during his high school career, including a collarbone fracture, a concussion, and a sprained ankle.

Nevertheless, during his junior season, Jankowski had a .471 batting average, with 25 runs scored, 20 runs batted in (RBIs), and 24 stolen bases.

The Associated Press named him to the All-State First Team that season, and he helped take Lancaster Catholic to a district championship.

Following his high school graduation in 2009, Jankowski committed to play college baseball at Stony Brook University on a partial athletic scholarship.

Jankowski's slender frame, standing at 6 ft and 165 lbs, made him a more appealing candidate for college baseball than football, and Stony Brook was the only NCAA Division I university to offer him a scholarship.

Jankowski made his college baseball debut in the second game of the Stony Brook 2010 baseball season, scoring two hits in two at bats against Akron.

His first collegiate RBI came shortly afterwards, against Alabama.

On March 20, 2010, Jankowski scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of a 3–2 victory over Iona, running home on a wild pitch from Matt Petro.

Later that season, he scored the game-winning run in a 3–2 extra innings game against Albany.

Defensively, his performance in center field against North Carolina State helped take Stony Brook to its first ever NCAA tournament win.

Jankowski finished his freshman season with a .262 average and 20 runs in 47 games, including 23 starts.

He also led the team in stolen bases, with 13 in 14 attempts.

The summer between his freshman and sophomore year, Jankowski played collegiate summer baseball with the Marion Bobcats of the Kitty League.

In 40 games with them, he led the league with a .484 batting average, 62 hits, and 45 stolen bases.

Later in the summer, he was invited to play for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

In 26 at bats with Bourne, Jankowski scored five runs for a .346 average.

He returned to Stony Brook as a sophomore in 2011, starting 53 games in center field.

In 115 chances, Jankowski did not make a single error.

He attended Stony Brook University, where he led the Seawolves to a Cinderella appearance in the 2012 College World Series after upsetting the LSU Tigers.

As a junior, Jankowski led college baseball in hits, runs scored and triples.

That same year, the Padres selected him in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

As he rose through the Padres' farm system, Jankowski developed an offensive style of play that favored base stealing.

He made his major league debut in 2015.

In his first full season the following year, he led the Padres with 30 stolen bases.

He missed significant time to injuries over the next few years and was traded to the Reds following the 2019 season.

Jankowski served as the fourth outfielder for the Phillies in 2021 and the Mets in 2022.

He had a one-game stint with the Mariners after the Mets released him midseason.

Jankowski signed with the Rangers in 2023 and led the team in stolen bases en route to the franchise's first-ever World Series championship.

Following a season-ending injury to Adolis García in the World Series, Jankowski started in his place and had a multi-hit, multi-RBI showing in the Rangers' Game 4 win.