Padres Travis Jankowski Showing Off His Speed

The Padres turned to reserve outfielders Travis Jankowski and Alex Dickerson when Jon Jay went down with an arm injury, and they have not disappointed. Travis Jankowski hasn’t stopped running at all and now leads the Padres in steals.

Considering he has only 165 at bats and 29 walks, his 23 stolen bases are pretty impressive. That even includes a steal of home which was award after the fact upon review. Talk about making a good impression.

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Though he has just 9 extra base hits out of his 40 total on the year, his speed makes even a single an automatic threat to become a double and he makes pitchers very nervous.

Manager Andy Green talked about his speedy centerfielder with the long blond hair:

“He’s making the most of his chance to play. He’s jump-started us with the excitement he brings to the top of the order. He’ll do anything he can to get on base. And once on base, he’s an instant threat to be on second or third.”

Last year the Padres as a team stole just 82 stolen bases, with Justin Upton leading the bunch at 19. This year it has been a much different story. The Padres second in the National League at 96, and with Jankowski looking to be an everyday player for at least the next month or so until Hunter Renfroe and/or Manuel Margot are called up, that number looks to keep going up.

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Wil Myers sits second on the team with 21 stolen bases including a straight steal of home of his own. With 20 home runs to go with those stole bases he has a legitimate shot at a 30/30 season which would be a nice clean milestone to validate his break out season.

Jankowski has also only been caught stealing 5 times, so while teams know they have to watch him when he gets on base, that hasn’t helped them catch him either.