Could the Phillies really turn CF over to Travis Jankowski?

It was one of those articles featuring a title that outran the actual claim presented, which showed up in paragraph five. In the digital Philadelphia Inquirer on July 18, the headline writer adorned writer Bob Brookover’s piece with the title “The Phillies’ center-field job is still up for grabs and Travis Jankowski is now the frontrunner.”

In fact, what Brookover wrote was that, considering the current situation (including an injury to one center fielder), “the Phillies are in no hurry to bring back [former All-Star, Odubel] Herrera.” The writer named no source for that conclusion. No one was quoted to that effect.

However, that’s not criticism. It’s merely noting that “frontrunner” carries the connotation about a lead in a race that’s a little more than a foot or two. At the moment, Travis Jankowski can be said to be leading the seemingly eternal battle for the Phillies number-eight position on your scorecard.

Could the Phillies trust journeyman Travis Jankowski with center field permanently?

But that lead doesn’t even put Jankowski in center every day at this point, or for the whole game when he starts. Luke Williams, one of the Phillies younger utilitymen, for example, has been in center field for at least parts of six games in July, four of which he shared with Jankowski. Williams started three of the games he appeared in.

It is undeniable that Jankowski has been very useful in the Phillies resurgence in July. For the month through play July 18, he has hit .385 with four RBI, eight runs scored, and a .907 OPS. Most recently, he contributed a pinch-hit single, run scored, and three innings in center in the series-winning defeat of Miami that pushed the Phillies to within two games of first-place New York.

However, he is, like Williams, a utilityman. Both are speedy and quite decent outfielders. Both can steal bases. However, Jankowski is several years older and has always been a utility player with the arguable exception of one or two years.

In 2016 and ‘18 he played enough to get nearly 400 at-bats for the Padres in both campaigns. However, Jankowski is, despite his current torrid streak, a lifetime .245 hitter. It’s true that, at age 30, he seems to play younger than he actually is, and part of that may be an enthusiasm about playing for the Phillies, the team he followed as a youngster in Lancaster (PA) County.

It will make a very nice story if Philadelphia continues to give Jankowski a majority of the available time for the rest of this season in center field. It would be an even better story if he continues to be hot, and the team posts a winning record or wins their division.

The bottom line, though, is that Travis Jankowski is likely to remain a role player in the long-term, and the Phillies search for a high-level, everyday performer in center field will continue. However, it would be great to be wrong about that.