Is Travis Blankenhorn a legitimate prospect?

There may not be a more fun name to say in all of the New York Mets organization than Travis Blankenhorn. Don’t forget, Johneshwy Fargas is no longer with the franchise.

Blankenhorn is neither the site of a famous battle post-Civil War battle nor an instrument you were forced to play in middle school. Blankenhorn isn’t even a more polite cuss word people afraid of offending their neighbors might drop. It’s simply a last name of a young ball player who spent time with four different organizations in 2021.

Picked up on waivers last year, Blankenhorn ranks as the number 19 Mets prospect according to MLB.com. It’s not significant but it is noteworthy. Approaching his age 25 season, his presence on the 40-man roster will be determined pretty quickly.

Is Travis Blankenhorn a legitimate Mets prospect?

Despite the limited action at the big league level and the .192/.250/.423 results, Blankenhorn did enjoy some success in the minor leagues with the Minnesota Twins. He displayed some excellent power in 2019 (who didn’t?) while belting 19 home runs in only 471 trips to the plate.

The left-handed hitting second baseman/outfielder (hey, I know another Mets player like this!) became a three-time waiver claim in 2021 as he went from the Twins to the Los Angeles Dodgers, to the Seattle Mariners, and finally to the Mets. He saw limited action for the Mets, going 4 for 23 and hitting his first major league home run.

I find it curious that Blankenhorn would remain highly regarded enough to make it onto most top 30 prospect lists. For the Metropolitans, he’s a top 20 prospect. This should change in 2022 either with him graduating to the major league level through his own productive play or falling off the map entirely.

I hate to judge Blankenhorn on his 2021 performance at Triple-A because of how often he changed teams. However, with only one game from 2020 to consider, we kind of have to.

Blankenhorn’s most recent full year at any level included a .246/.354/.456 slash line with 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 229 plate appearances. For a young guy who may have jumped up through the minor leagues quickly, this might be all right. In his case, it’s not too promising.

His presence on the 40-man roster is likely because the Mets just don’t want to turn him loose. Removing him would free him up to get claimed on waivers—something he became very familiar with last year. His ability to play multiple positions makes him a candidate to fill in and help out at a variety of infield positions. The Mets don’t have much depth here. In that way, maybe Blankenhorn is a little more of a prospect than I give him credit for.

I don’t think anyone expects Blankenhorn to win a starting job or even see himself grow into anything more than an infielder to plant on the bench. In the coming seasons, he can get a chance to see some playing time as injuries mount and desperation for warm bodies grows.