Travis Hafner
Travis Hafner | |
---|---|
Designated hitter / First baseman | |
Born: Jamestown, North Dakota, U.S. | June 3, 1977|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 6, 2002, for the Texas Rangers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 29, 2013, for the New York Yankees | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .273 |
Home runs | 213 |
Runs batted in | 731 |
Teams | |
Travis Lee Hafner (
Early life and career
Hafner was born in
Professional career
Texas Rangers
Hafner was drafted by the
Cleveland Indians
2003–2005
After the 2002 season, the Rangers traded Hafner to the Indians along with
In 2004, Hafner had a breakout offensive season. As the primary DH in the Indians' line-up, he finished the season in the top ten in the league in
At the beginning of the 2005 season, the Indians signed Hafner to a three-year contract through 2007 with a club option for 2008.[8]
He responded by exceeding his offensive production of 2004. Hafner was again among the league leaders in on-base percentage (3rd, .408), slugging percentage (3rd, .595), doubles (5th, 42),
In the first full week of July he was named
After the season, the Cleveland chapter of the
2006
For the third straight season, in 2006, Hafner posted MVP-caliber numbers while anchoring the middle of one of the most potent offenses in baseball. On September 1, he was hit on the hand by Texas Rangers pitcher
On June 7, a section in the
A little more than a month later, on August 13, Hafner tied Mattingly's single-season record when he hit his sixth grand slam of the season, off Luke Hudson of the Kansas City Royals.[18] His league-leading 13 home runs and 30 RBI, combined with his .361 average in the month of August, earned Hafner AL Player of the Month—the second time he had been honored as such in his career.[19]
Hafner set the single-season club mark with 39 home runs and 110 RBI as a DH, surpassing Andre Thornton's 1982 totals of 32 home runs and 109 RBI. He became the second Indian ever to record 100 walks, 100 runs and 100 RBI in the same season (Jim Thome did so in 1997, 2001 and 2002). His .659 slugging percentage was the sixth highest in team history.
2007–2012
In 2007, Hafner batted .266 for the season, compared to .308 in 2006 and .305 in 2005. He hit 24 home runs and 100 runs batted in, his fourth straight season of 100+ RBI.[20] Some critics pointed to Hafner's disappointing performance being due to unfinished contract negotiations, but Hafner denied this. The Indians signed Hafner to a four-year, $57 million contract extension during the All-Star break, keeping him in Cleveland through the 2012 season.[21] As of the end of the 2007 season, Hafner ranked first all-time for career home runs by a player born in North Dakota with 142.
Hafner missed most of the 2008 season due to injuries, appearing in only 57 games with 234 appearances at the plate.[22] When he did play, Hafner's performance was the worst of his career, finishing his abbreviated season with a .628 OPS.
Though he still missed time due to injury in 2009, Hafner appeared in 94 games and hit .272 with 16 home runs and an .826 OPS.
Hafner played 118 games with 462 plate appearances in 2010, hitting .278 with 13 home runs and an .824 OPS.[23]
In 2011, Hafner played in 94 games. He batted .280 and had 57 RBIs along with 13 home runs. On May 13, 2011, Hafner hit a walk-off home run off Seattle Mariners' closer Brandon League. Hafner hit another walk-off home run on July 7, 2011, off Toronto Blue Jays reliever Luis Pérez which was a grand slam.
On April 5, 2012, Hafner became only the 12th player in Cleveland Indians history to make at least 10 starts on Opening Day in a Cleveland Indians uniform. On April 15, 2012, Hafner hit a home run off Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Luis Mendoza that was estimated at having traveled 456 feet. It was the longest homer hit at Kauffman Stadium since 2001.[24] When Hafner was placed on the injured list in May for surgery to repair an injured right knee, it was his sixth appearance on the list in the last five seasons.[25] Against the Detroit Tigers on August 5, Hafner a solo home run in the 10th inning, his 200th home run of his career. He was again placed on the disabled list in August, with lower back inflammation.[26] On November 1, the Indians declined Hafner's option, making him a free agent.
New York Yankees
On February 1, 2013, Hafner signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the New York Yankees.[27][28] In his first game at Progressive Field as an ex-Indian, Hafner was 2-for-3 with two walks, four RBIs and three runs, including a three-run home run in his first at-bat. Despite batting .318 in April, Hafner faltered later in the season and suffered rotator cuff inflammation. Limited to only 82 games, Hafner batted .202 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI.[citation needed][29][30]
Hafner was eligible to be elected into the Hall of Fame in 2019, but received less than 5% of the vote and became ineligible for the 2020 ballot.
Personal life
In November 2006, Hafner married Amy Hafner (née Beekman). The couple have three sons, Blake Lee, born in 2009, Trip John, born in 2012, and Knox Jameson born in 2015.[31]
Hafner is a fan of
In April 2006, Malley's Chocolates of Cleveland unveiled the 'Pronk Bar', a milk chocolate candy bar named in honor of Hafner.[32] Hafner's new product, "Pronk Beef Jerky" hit shelves in mid-2007.[33]
See also
References
- ^ "Pronk Of the Plains". Si.com. New York, NY: Time. January 24, 2007. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
- ^ "Host of big leaguers hail from small-town life". Washington Nationals. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ Mearns, Andrew (February 2, 2013). "Know Your 40: Travis Hafner". Pinstripe Alley. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ Atkin, Ross (August 22, 2006). "Some call him Pronk, but he's really Mr. Grand Slam". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ "Travis Hafner – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "Hafner hits for cycle as Indians whack listless Twins again". SI.com. August 14, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ "Riske finally closes door on Indians win". Sportsline.com wire reports. The Associated Press. April 12, 2004. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ Hill, Justice B. (April 13, 2005). "Indians sign Hafner to three-year deal". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ Hill, Justice B. (July 5, 2005). "Hafner named AL Player of the Month". MLB.com. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ Thesier, Kelly (July 11, 2005). "Hafner latest AL Player of the Week". MLB.com. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ "Headache sends Indians' Hafner to DL; Braves' Hampton down with bad back". USA Today. The Associated Press. July 27, 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ a b Cleveland Indians: Media Guide 2007 (PDF). MLB Advanced Media. p. 147. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ Pluto, Terry (November 6, 2005). "Hafner, Boone honored by baseball journalists". Akron Beacon-Journal. p. C3.
- ^ "A-Rod edges Ortiz for second AL MVP in three seasons". CBS SportsLine.com wire reports. The Associated Press. November 14, 2005. Archived from the original on November 24, 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ "Hafner to miss the rest of the season". MLB.com (Press release). September 9, 2006. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
- ^ "Pronkville opens for business".
- ^ "Indians DH blasts team record fifth grand slam". ESPN.com. The Associated Press. July 7, 2006. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
- ^ Hill, Justice B. (August 13, 2006). "Hafner ties Mattingly for slams in season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
- ^ Yanik, Kevin (September 5, 2006). "Hafner earns Player of the Month honors". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
- ^ Travis Hafner Profile sports.yahoo.com
- ^ Tribe, Hafner ink $57M, 4 -year extension Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine mlive.com
- ^ "Travis Hafner Stats".
- Baseball-reference.com
- ^ "Hafner hits long homer, Indians sweep Royals". SI.com. Associated Press. April 15, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ Bastian, Jordan (May 31, 2012). "Knee inflammation forces Pronk to DL". MLB.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
- Plain Dealer. Cleveland.com. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "Yankees on the verge of deal with Hafner - The LoHud Yankees Blog". The LoHud Yankees Blog. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Yankees sign DH Travis Hafner". New York Yankees. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Travis Hafner Overview". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Travis Hafner injury: Yankees DH lands on 15-day DL". sbnation.com. July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (November 17, 2006). "Notes: Early posting results unhelpful". MLB.com. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (April 9, 2006). "Notes: Sweet start for Hafner". MLB.com. Retrieved April 8, 2007.
- ^ "Pronk's Beef Jerky". Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2007.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- The Pronk Shift