It’s a little strange for a leadoff hitter to be second in the league in RBI. That leaderboard is usually reserved for middle-of-the-order power bats. It’s not that the leadoff hitter never bats with runners on base; the guy in that slot just usually isn’t a big run producer.
Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) breaks the mold, and Bourne is pretty happy about that.
Jankowski first hooked on with Bourne last year, as a temporary player in the final week of the season. He did well and was signed for this summer. He then put together a big spring for Stony Brook, hitting .355 with 38 RBI.
Back on the Cape, he got off to a solid start, but he was just about the only Brave to do so. Bourne’s offense struggled mightily out of the gates.
But in the second week of the season, Jankowski was moved into the leadoff spot. His first game there, he went 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 4-0 win over Brewster.
Since then, Jankowski has been at the top of the order in every game. He’s hitting .319 overall — .336 since moving to the leadoff spot — and he’s getting on base at a .400 clip. He’s also breaking the mold and ranks second in the league in RBI with 19.
A lot has changed within the Bourne lineup over the course of the season, but since that second week, Jankowski has been an absolute constant, and on his foundation, a turnaround has been built.
The Braves didn’t look too great in the first two weeks of the season but they’ve steadily climbed the ranks.
Last night, Jankowski and Co. got as close as they’ve been all summer, beating Hyannis 7-3 to move within two games of the division-leading Harbor Hawks.
As last night showed, Jankowski now isn’t the only one hitting. The Braves finished with 11 against Hyannis, led by Kyle Farmer (Georgia), who went 3-for-5. Colin Moran (North Carolina) and Zach Alvord (Auburn) had two hits each. On the mound, Brian Ward (UConn) pitched five scoreless innings for the win.
And of course, there in the leadoff spot, Jankowksi went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. He’s now hit in eight straight games.
I don’t think he’ll be moving from that leadoff spot anytime soon.
Elsewhere
What to Watch
Game: Harwich and Brewster meet for the second time in three days, this one in Harwich at 7 p.m. The Whitecaps have a three-point lead on Harwich for first place in the East.
Player: Brewster’s Jason Monda doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title yet, but if he stays hot, he’s going to be the leader as soon as he does. Monda is eight for his last 13.
when do the all star rosters come out?
Usually the week before the game.
Pretty! Thiѕ was an extremely wonderful article.
Thank you for providing this information.