Travis Anthony Metcalf (born August 17, 1982) is an American former

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 ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He played parts of two seasons 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 Texas Rangers.

Amateur career

He helped lead the Wamego Red Raider baseball program in

Wamego Wamego is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,841. History Wamego was platted in 1866. It was named for a Potawatomi Native American chief. The first post office in ...

to the Kansas 4A State Championship in 2000, his senior year at Wamego High School. Metcalf holds the career

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

record at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

with 29 and held the single season record (18) from 2003 to 2009.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Metcalf was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 11th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. He spent two and a half years in Texas' minor league system, playing for the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

, and

Oklahoma RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

, before his contract was purchased by the Rangers on May 18, 2007.

Defense first

Metcalf is known more for his defensive prowess than his offensive accomplishments. Rangers then-Assistant General Manager

Thad Levine Thad Levine (born November 12, 1971) is an American baseball executive. He is the senior VP and general manager for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. Early life and education Levine was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He played youth ...

said Metcalf "was ready to play in the major leagues" in 2005. His offense rebounded in 2007 and the Rangers at that point felt that Metcalf would be able to adequately fill in for the injured

Hank Blalock Hank Joe Blalock (born November 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. High school Blalock attended Rancho Bernardo High School in ...

Major league career

Metcalf made his major league debut on May 19, 2007, against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. His first major league

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

was a home run off

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

pitcher, and former teammate at

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Tom Gorzelanny Thomas Stephen Gorzelanny (born July 12, 1982) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who is currently the pitching coach for the minor league Amarillo Sod Poodles. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, C ...

. That August, he drove in four runs in each game of a doubleheader at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, the first game being a record-setting 30–3 rout.

Back to the minors

Following the Rangers' 2009

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

camp, Metcalf was returned to the Triple-A

. On April 5, Metcalf was designated for assignment. He was claimed off waivers by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

on April 8. On August 19, 2009, Metcalf was released by the Kansas City Royals but re-signed with the Texas Rangers and was optioned to their Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City Redhawks just 3 days later. On February 23, 2010, Metcalf signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies and played the 2010 season with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

Triple-A affiliate, the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

. On April 27, 2011, Metcalf signed an independent league contract with the

Fort Worth Cats The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseball. ...

. He was let go by the Cats later in the season and was picked up by the Lancaster Barnstormers.

References

External links

Wamego High School Baseball
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalf, Travis 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Manhattan, Kansas Baseball players from Kansas Major League Baseball third basemen Texas Rangers players Kansas Jayhawks baseball players Spokane Indians players Bakersfield Blaze players Frisco RoughRiders players Oklahoma RedHawks players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Omaha Royals players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Surprise Rafters players Fort Worth Cats players Lancaster Barnstormers players