Travis "The Horn" Blankenhorn - 2018

[willbrown2000]

Travis Blankenhorn
3rd Baseman & 2nd Baseman
Born – August 3rd 1996 Pottsville PA
Ht – 6’ 2” Wt – 208 lb
Drafted by the Minnesota Twins 80th overall in 2015
High School – Pottsville HS Pottsville PA
Bats – Left Throws – Right

Awards 
2017 MILB.com Organization All-Star 
2017 Mid-Season All Star - Cedar Rapids
6/18/2017 - Player of the Week - Cedar Rapids

 

The first high schooler drafted by the Twins in the 2015 amateur draft Blankenhorn spent his prep career as a shortstop but was initially projected as a future third baseman.

 

In his minor league career he has split his time between second and third as well as a few stints at first and left field. It looks as though he may be able to have a shot at playing second regularly despite his size. Initial reviews of his defense there have been decent. He has a strong arm which plays well at third.

 

Is he fast? The speed plays now with only 3 caught stealing in 24 attempts in his minor league career including this slick straight steal of home in the 8th inning of a tie game June 17th of 2017.

https://youtu.be/RYaderxkndI

 

Here are the Kernels reacting to the steal in the dugout

https://youtu.be/uwpb5S_UM0Q

 

Fangraphs has him ranked in 2017 as the Twins 14th top prospect. His hit tool was ranked at 40/55 (current/future) and game power as 30/45. 

 

Here he is in Elizibethton in 2016, taking a few deep.

https://youtu.be/e5rk7EnFEhU

 

Fangraphs scouting report from 11/16

"Blankenhorn is hitterishly short to the ball, tracks pitches well and has some barrel control. He’s a potential above-average hitter at maturity. He has average bat speed and produces fringe-average raw power right now. That might improve in the future, but only by a half grade, as Blankenhorn’s body is already relatively mature. He spent most of 2016 at second base and most of 2015 at third, but he’s played first base and left field as well and, while I think he’ll line up most often at third base, positional versatility will only allow his bat to get into the lineup more often. It’s unlikely that Blankenhorn’s power will play at a corner every day and he profiles as more of a bat-first utility man in the Greg Dobbs mold, or as a below-average regular."

 

Some fun Keith Law quotes about Blankenhorn - 

 

Speaking to Seth Stohs – 5/17

“ I saw him one game in spring training. He’s pretty exciting. I’d like to see a full season of good contact rates and consistent performance, but he could be really good. For a big guy, he is big, that’s a big person, he moved really well at third base. He got off his feet fine, he’s got plenty of arm. It was good. And the contact was impressive.”

 

From his online chat 4/17
“You know, I saw him last week in Fort Myers, and 1) oh my god is he huge and 2) he actually wasn't that bad at third for a guy his size. Maybe he's a 2b instead, but he can scorch the ball.

 

So mixed reviews on Blankenhorn.. Let's see what he can do this year. 

 

Lastly, here is Blankenhorn in his last Kernels interview in 2017 speaking about his host family, diet and his favorite moment from the season. 

https://youtu.be/_t2dd7GzT0w