Inside The Padres

Former Padres First-Round Pick Signs One-Year Deal With World Series Champs

The outfielder returns to Texas on a short deal.

Jason Fray

Former Padres First-Round Pick Signs One-Year Deal With World Series Champs
Former Padres First-Round Pick Signs One-Year Deal With World Series Champs /
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Once one of the jewels in San Diego's farm system, Travis Jankowski is returning to a team where he enjoyed some real success. 

According to various reports, Jankowski has agreed to a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers. Reporter Buster Olney confirmed the deal, saying that Jankowski will earn at least $1.7 million. Those numbers could increase based on performance bonuses. 

Jankowski first joined the Rangers last year as a free agent. Performing mostly as a reserve outfielder, he fit in brilliantly with the culture of the club. 

The 32-year-old finished the year with a respectable .263 batting average. While he hit only one home run during the regular season, he did lead Texas with 19 stolen bases. 

Having a reserve player with such an impressive singular trait is something the Rangers clearly value. Hitting .333 in the playoffs with a .844 OPS surely helped Jankowski's cause in garnering another contract. 

Jankowski has had an interesting road leading up to winning a World Series with the Rangers last season. 

San Diego took him No. 44 Overall in the 2012 MLB Draft. This came off the heels of leading tiny Stony Brook to the College World Series. A prolific contact hitter, the Padres gladly scooped him up before the second round began. 

After toiling away in the minor leagues for three seasons, Jankowski made his debut with the Padres in 2015. 

Playing all of the outfield spots, Jankowski's hit tool was wildly inconsistent. In parts of five seasons with the Padres, Jankowski never hit more than four home runs in a single season. He was a prolific stolen base merchant, though he didn't get on base enough to maximize that trait. 

From 2020-22, Jankowski bounced around multiple clubs (Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York Mets, Seattle) before finding a home with the Rangers. 

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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