Travis Jankowski giving Mets exactly what they need
Mets right fielder Travis Jankowski looks on against Atlanta in Game Two of an MLB baseball doubleheader at Citi Field on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
On the eve of Monday’s roster cutdown, the noisy one that ended Robinson Cano’s Mets’ tenure, I had a conversation with a team official about the difficult decision that loomed.
Among the potential casualties, at least in my view, was Travis Jankowski, primarily because of his part-time role and maybe the Mets’ ability to patch that fourth outfielder spot. There was the risk of losing him permanently as a DFA candidate, however.
My Jankowski suggestion was greeted with incredulity.
“That’s the last person we’d consider,” the official said before reeling off a number of superlatives about him.
Fast forward to Tuesday and Jankowski, never in any real danger, was given the opportunity to do damage to Atlanta by starting in the leadoff spot for Game 1 of the doubleheader. And no one had a greater impact in the Mets’ 5-4 victory as the former Stony Brook star reached base four times, scored three runs, delivered two singles and stole a base.
If there were a highlight reel to display all the reasons why Jankowski is an iron-clad lock on this roster, it would look like Tuesday’s first game -- aside from a second-inning throw that kicked off the side of the mound on Travis Demeritte’s sacrifice fly. Otherwise, Jankowski patrolled Citi’s spacious centerfield without a flaw, and harassed Atlanta from every pressure point on the offensive side.
“He knows the confidence we have in him in playing the game the way he plays it,” Buck Showalter said after Game 1. “He’s frustrated he didn’t get off a better throw to the plate. But he’s a pro. He’s been around, and those guys are hard to find. I think a lot of people miss that. Billy [Eppler] and our front office don’t miss.”
Showalter went on to explain the importance of having Jankowski to spell Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte before starting him again for Game 2, sliding him over to rightfield (he went 0-for-3) in the Mets' 3-0 victory. But Jankowski, who turns 31 next month and is on his fourth team in eight years, does more than merely give starters a blow. He’s usually forcing the other team to catch their breath.
"I think a guy in my role can kind of get overlooked," Jankowski said afterward. "You really have to check your ego at the door every day. No one's going to be buying my jersey. But I still think there's a big part of what I bring to the table that's very important and very needed to winning teams and championship teams. And I think that's what we have in this clubhouse."
In the first inning, Jankowski led off with a full-swing, 83.5-mph single to the right side of the infield that had an expected batting average (xBA) of .050, not a very high percentage hit. He got into scoring position when Francisco Lindor got plunked on the toe, then scored easily on Pete Alonso’s one-out single.
Jankowski followed that in the second inning with a one-out walk, reached third on a pair of infield grounders (one botched) and again breezed home on another Alonzo single to put the Mets ahead, 4-1. The fourth inning featured Jankowski manufacturing a run almost on his own after his fielder’s-choice groundout. He promptly stole second, then bolted for third when Travis d’Arnaud’s throw sailed into center. This time, a Mark Canha sac fly punched his ticket home.
“He was excited as a guy going to his first game in Little League, playing today and leading off,” Showalter said. “Guys like him and [Luis] Guillorme bring it in situations like this. Trav’s been a pro, that’s why we wanted to keep him. He brings some tools that we need. He’s a great piece for us, he’s a good teammate and plays the game right.”
By the sixth, after already tormenting Atlanta thoroughly, Jankowski frustrated them further by beating out another dribbler, this one a 62-mph roller down the third-base line (.270 xBA). Somehow, he didn’t score that inning, but his three previous three runs matched a career-high.
Much of the focus on the Mets’ upgraded speed from this offseason had to do with the signing of Marte to a four-year, $78-million contract. But securing Jankowkski on a post-lockout, minor-league deal went understandably under the radar, and judging by the impression he’s already made on the Mets, his $1.25-million salary -- dollar for dollar -- could turn out to be one of their savvier investments this offseason.
It’s almost as if what Jankowski has brought to Flushing is contagious. His pair of low-velocity infield hits in Tuesday’s Game 1 bumped up the Mets’ season total to 31, which leads the majors, and their defense overall is much-improved. The two starts in Tuesday’s doubleheader bumped him up to nine on this early season, but he’s appeared in 16 games and was batting .321 (9-for-28) with eight runs scored and a .406 on-base percentage.
"That's my game," Jankowski said. "I'm not the home run guy. I'm not the power guy. My role on this team is to get on base and cause havoc."
Not bad for his limited cameos, and the added spark is providing all the Mets could ask for -- including the majority of the offense in Tuesday’s opening win. You could say Jankowski immediately showed the value of him staying on the roster, but the Mets were never looking for validation. It was something they already knew.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
