Jankowski leads Player of the Week winners
Travis Jankowski rode a scorching hot week in Triple-A back to the big leagues. Over five games in the award period of April 22-29, Jankowski batted an eye-popping .706/.783/.941 for Triple-A El Paso to capture Pacific Coast League Player of the Week honors. To cap his impressive week, the outfielder
Over five games in the award period of April 22-29, Jankowski batted an eye-popping .706/.783/.941 for Triple-A El Paso to capture Pacific Coast League Player of the Week honors. To cap his impressive week, the outfielder received his first summons of the year to the big leagues on Sunday.
Jankowski's surge was part of an active eight-game hitting streak, every game of which has contained multiple hits. Over the course of the streak, Jankowski is batting .562 (18-for-32) to boost his 2018 slash line to .363/.452/.450 through 22 games with the Chihuahuas. The center fielder launched his first home run of the season on April 23, part of a 3-for-3 night at Las Vegas that saw him finish a triple shy of the cycle with seven total bases, three RBIs and a walk.
It wasn't just his damage swinging the bat that made Jankowski's week impressive. The 2012 first-round pick also walked five times while striking out just once.
In addition to his hits in eight straight, Jankowski has recorded at least one knock in nine out of his last 10 games. The stretch has turned his season around after a sluggish start. Through his first 12 contests, Jankowski was at .227/.306/.273 with 16 strikeouts against just four walks.
Some of Jankowski's success can be attributed to his high batting average on balls in play. The left-handed-hitting Pennsylvania native is batting .483 when making contact so far this year. Jankowski experienced similar good fortune over the course of a similar Triple-A sample size in 2015, the year he made his big league debut, when he batted .432 on balls in play over 24 games.
Jankowski first reached Triple-A in 2015 and has mostly bounced between the Minors' highest level and the Majors since, spending all of 2016 with San Diego. Over 81 Triple-A games across parts of three seasons, Jankowski is a .329/.412/.405 hitter.
• View the Pitcher of the Week winners »
Upon being called up, Jankowski entered Sunday's game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning for San Diego. The 26-year-old batted twice and went 1-for-2, lashing a single to left in his first Major League at-bat of the season.
The award is the first such accolade of Jankowski's career and the second straight given to an El Paso hitter after
Below is the complete list of Minor League Offensive Players of the Week for April 23-29:
| League | Player | Team | MLB | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | Dustin Peterson | Gwinnett | ATL | .391/.462/.826, 6 G, 9-for-23, 4 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K |
| Pacific Coast | Travis Jankowski | El Paso | SDP | .706/.783/.941, 5 G, 12-for-17, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, 5 BB, 1 K, 2 CS |
| Eastern | Peter Alonso | Binghamton | NYM | .545/.667/1.136, 6 G, 12-for-22, 1 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 8 R, 8 BB, 2 IBB, 3 K |
| Southern | Zack Collins | Birmingham | CWS | .429/.571/.762, 6 G, 9-for-21, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 6 BB, 5 K, 1 SB |
| Texas | John Nogowski | Springfield | STL | .455/.458/.636, 6 G, 10-for-22, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K |
| California | Gavin Lux | Rancho Cucamonga | LAD | .417/.517/1.226, 6 G, 10-for-24, 4 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 SB |
| Carolina | Weston Wilson | Carolina | MIL | .412/.500/1.059, 5 G, 7-for-17, 0 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K |
| Florida State | Nathaniel Lowe | Charlotte | TBR | .417/.462/.833, 6 G, 10-for-24, 1 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K |
| Midwest | Kevin Smith | Lansing | TOR | .433/.471/.933, 8 G, 13-for-30, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 SB |
| South Atlantic | Jeremy Vasquez | Columbia | NYM | .360/.407/.680, 7 G, 9-for-25, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K |
Tyler Maun is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @TylerMaun.