Journeyman With More Than 3,000 MiLB At-Bats Gets New Chance With Los Angeles Angels

Travis Blankenhorn is in his 11th season in pro ball and has had MLB stints with the Twins, Mets and Nationals.

Washington Nationals second baseman Travis Blankenhorn (33) rounds third base to score a run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Nationals Park on Aug. 3, 2024. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Travis Blankenhorn is a study in perseverance.

He was a third-round selection in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins out of high school in Pottsville, Pa. Over the past 10 seasons, he’s toiled from one city to the next, from Washington state to Florida, with a few major league stints along the way.

And he’s not giving up on that major league dream.

He made his first spring appearance on Tuesday with the Los Angeles Angels, who signed him March 6 to a minor league contract. A seventh-inning replacement in left field for Matthew Lugo in the Angels' 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in Cactus League play, Blankenhorn didn’t get an at-bat.

Blankenhorn, 28, has 825 minor league games to his credit, plus 49 in the majors. He’s had brief appearances in each of the past five MLB seasons, appearing in just one game in each of two seasons and a high of 24 in 2021. Those games have come wearing the uniform of the Twins (2020-21), New York Mets (2021-22) and Washington Nationals (2023-24).

Congratulations to Travis Blankenhorn on his first MLB hit.#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/DgpMUfisH1

— TFTwins (@TFTwins) September 16, 2020

He also spent a combined seven games on the Triple-A rosters of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners.

In the minors, Blankenhorn has a slash line of .256/.333/.456 to go with 130 home runs and 481 RBIs over 3,445 plate appearances and 3,058 official at-bats.

That number of reps didn’t translate into success at the major league level, however, where the line is remarkably different: .154/.230/.264. He has 14 hits in 91 at-bats with two home runs and 10 RBIs.

In 2024, Blankenhorn appeared in 10 games with the Nationals, hitting .161. He spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A Rochester, batting .238 with 26 homers and 72 RBIs.

At this stage of spring training, the Angels undoubtedly have a good idea of who will be heading back to Anaheim, Calif., with them on the major league roster. But this could be the opportunity Blankenhorn needs to wind up back on a Triple-A roster and show his skills to the Angels and other major league teams as the season progresses.

Related MiLB Stories

THE OPENER: Right-hander Sean Burke has a day he will never forget at White Sox camp

GOOD NEWS: A strong crop of players could be headed to Chicago soon to bolster the White Sox, thanks to shrewd drafting and trades.

IN MEMORY: Famed author of minor league book that spotlighted ex-White Sox player, Jays manager dies.