Will I finish the Non-Roster Invitation Preview series before the start of the season? Maybe! We’re cutting it close! We have a few more players to look at and today’s – Travis Jankowski – has gotten a long during spring training.
Jankowski was drafted in the first round, 44th overall, back in 2012 by the Padres out of Stony Brook (which if you have watched any games on SNY this year, you probably have heard he’s local about 23,000 times by now). He made his major league debut in 2015 and has played parts of every season since seeing significant playing time in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
In 2021 with the Phillies he played in 76 games and had 176 PA’s hitting .252/.364/.351 which is pretty good compared to his career line of .239/.322/.318.
For the Mets, as of April 2nd, he has played in 10 games with 21 PA’s hitting .235/.381/.235. If he makes the team, he would be 4th/5th outfielder type with speed. Speed is his main tool and it’s a tool that’s lacking a bit on the Mets roster. The Mets have four outfielders on their 40 man roster that look like they’ll make it to the Major League roster (Canha, Marte, Nimmo, Smith). Jeff McNeil can also swing to the outfield if needed. Jankowski is also competing with two minor league players on the roster, Lee and Plummer, who are almost definitely, barring something major, starting the season in the minors. On paper, it looks like Jankowski is a fit, but it’s unclear how without someone coming off of the 40-man roster.
Weird things happen the last week of Spring Training. Let’s see how this all shakes out.
