Travis Allan Blankenhorn (born August 3, 1996) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Amateur career

Blankenhorn attended

Pottsville Area High School Pottsville Area High School is a coeducational public high school located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pottsville Area School District and is the largest public high school in Schuylkill County. It was founded in 1853 and offers ...

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

. Blankenhorn was a three sport standout high school athlete in football, basketball in baseball. He committed to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

. He was drafted by the

in the third round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks ...

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

After signing, Blankenhorn made his professional debut with the

Gulf Coast Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, the ...

and he was later promoted to the

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their major league affiliate. The team playe ...

. He posted a combined .244 batting average with three home runs and 23 RBIs in 53 games between both clubs. Blankenhorn spent 2016 with both Elizabethon and the Cedar Rapids Kernels where he batted a combined .293 with ten home runs and 41 RBIs in 59 games with both teams. In 2017, he returned to Cedar Rapids, slashing .251/.343/.441 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs in 118 games, earning

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

All-Star honors. Blankenhorn spent 2018 with the Fort Myers Miracle. In June, he was named a

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

All-Star and won the Home Run Derby with 31 home runs. In 124 games with Fort Myers, he hit .231 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs. He returned to Fort Myers to begin the 2019 season before being promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos with whom he was named to the Southern League All-Star Game. Over 108 games between the two clubs, he slashed .277/.321/.466 with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs. Blankenhorn was named the second baseman of the year in the Southern League at the conclusion of the season. Blankenhorn was added to the Twins 40-man roster on November 20, 2019. On September 14, 2020, Blankenhorn was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut the next day against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, and picked up his first major league hit off of

Matt Foster Matthew James Foster (born January 27, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur career Foster attended Valley High School in Valley, Alaba ...

. Blankenhorn only appeared in 1 game for the Twins in 2021. On May 8, 2021, Blankenhorn was designated for assignment.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On May 14, 2021, Blankenhorn was claimed off waivers by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. In 3 at-bats for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, he went hitless. He was designated for assignment on May 21.

Seattle Mariners

On May 24, 2021, Blankenhorn was claimed off waivers by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

and assigned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. In 20 at-bats for Tacoma, Blankenhorn notched 5 hits with 1 home run and 5 RBI.

New York Mets

On June 1, 2021, Blankenhorn was claimed off waivers by the

. He made his debut the following day, coming in as a defensive substitute for

Jonathan Villar Jonathan Rafael Villar Roque (born May 2, 1991) is a Dominican professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Toronto Bl ...

. On June 11, he was optioned to the Triple-A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which open ...

. On July 17, Blankenhorn recorded his first career RBI and scored his first run. On July 18, in a game against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, Blankenhorn hit his first career home run, a 425-foot, 3-run shot off of pitcher

J. T. Brubaker Jonathan Trey Brubaker (born November 17, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. Early life and amateur career Brubaker attended Tecumseh High ...

. He appeared in 23 total games for the Mets in 2021, batting .174/.208/.391 with a home run and 4 RBI. Blankenhorn was designated for assignment on April 5, 2022, after the Mets signed John Curtiss. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse on April 8. On July 22, Blankenhorn's contract was selected by the Mets. He was designated for assignment on July 23, and was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse on July 25. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Washington Nationals

On December 14, 2022, Blankenhorn signed a minor league deal with the

. He began the 2023 season with the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

, playing in 108 games and batting .262/.360/.517 with 23 home runs and 75 RBI. On September 1, 2023, Blankenhorn was selected to the major league roster. In 10 games for Washington, he batted .161/.297/.258 with one home run and one RBI. On October 5, Blankenhorn was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Rochester. However, two days later Blankenhorn rejected the outright assignment and elected free agency.

Personal life

Blankenhorn and his wife, Maci, married in 2020.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blankenhorn, Travis 1996 births Living people Baseball players from Pennsylvania Cedar Rapids Kernels players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Major League Baseball second basemen Minnesota Twins players New York Mets players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Rochester Red Wings players Salt River Rafters players Sportspeople from Pottsville, Pennsylvania St. Paul Saints players Syracuse Mets players Tacoma Rainiers players Washington Nationals players