5 Questions with Twins Prospect Travis Blankenhorn

[Cody Christie]

Travis Blankenhorn was a third-round pick back in 2015 before the current front office regime took over. He’s been able to steadily move through the system over the last five seasons while spending the majority of last season at Double-A. Twins Daily caught up with him to ask him five questions as he prepares for the 2020 campaign.Blakenhorn has been younger than the average age of the competition at every stop in his professional career. Now entering his age-23 season, he has been added to the Twins 40-man roster and he is waiting for his chance to prove himself at the big-league level. His versatility and baseball instincts could make him a valuable piece of the Twins in the not-so-distant future.

 

Twins Daily (TD): How is preparation for this season different from other years?

 

Travis Blankenhorn (TB): I have some weights in my basement and some nets to hit into, so I’ve been able to continue working out and training for baseball.

 

TD: You’ve played five different defensive positions during your professional career. Which position are you most comfortable at and why?

 

TB: I’m just trying to be the most versatile player to get in the lineup.

 

TD: The Twins added you to the 40-man roster this off-season. What did it feel like when you got that news?

 

TB: Getting that news was great. It was fun to enjoy the night with my family.

 

TD: If you were writing a scouting report on yourself, what would it say?

 

TB: Hard working, with the ability to play anywhere.

 

TD: If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

 

TB: I’ll take teleportation so I can go wherever I want whenever I want. I think I could get around the bases pretty fast that way too. Haha

 

Here are the other posts in the "Five Questions" series:

- Lewis Thorpe

- Brent Rooker

- Randy Dobnak

- Dave St. Peter

 

MORE FROM TWINS DAILY

— Latest Twins coverage from our writers

— Recent Twins discussion in our forums

— Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

 

Click here to view the article

[jmlease1]

I hope Blankenhorn can maintain that positional flexibility. He'll be a much more valuable prospect if he's a guy who can play 2B/3B/OF and have a nice path to the majors. If he gets pushed down to corner OF, I'm not sure he's going to hit enough to force his way ahead of guys like Larnach or Kirilloff.

 

Good to see that he's embracing that aspect. He could be the replacement for Marwin on this squad if he continues to develop. I thought Blankenhorn might have stalled out after a disappointing 2018, but he really did a nice job in 2019 showing he had more in him. Hopefully he'll be able to actually get some paying time this year, he's at an important stage in his development.