Twice now, Travis Jankowski has made the best out of a major league baseball opportunity. In each instance, putting others ahead of himself has played a huge role in his success.

"Everyone had always said to me, 'You'd make a good coach one day,'" said Jankowski. "Up until 2021, I was like, 'I don't know what you are talking about. I don't see it.' I was 29 going on 30, and it was a pivotal point in my career."

"I started thinking, 'I never had a veteran take me under his wing,'" continued Jankowski. " 'I'm actually going to care about someone else more than myself.' After a while, I was like 'Huh, this is kind of cool; it's kind of fulfilling. It's time I made this game more about others than myself.'"

Jankowski is in his first season as the Texas Rangers' first-base coach. In addition to his in-game duties of keeping players on their toes, Jankowski teaches base-running, footwork and outfield defense.

Making his transition to coaching a smooth one is the fact that Jankowski is less than a year removed from an 11-year playing career. He's also only 35, and he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Texas, where he played with some of the current Rangers players.

The Rangers were 74-76 through the first 150 games of their 2026 season.

"Coaching is relationships," said Jankowski, a 2009 graduate of Lancaster Catholic High School. "I just played in Texas two years ago. But I did question if the players were going to trust me completely. The relationships come from relatability, from building trust. It's a really hard game. (Coaches) appreciate how hard the game is and how much work the guys put in."

After being released by the New York Mets in July of 2025, Jankowski was contemplating his next career step and considering trying to make a major league roster as a player out of 2026 spring training. Pretty much out of nowhere, Jankowski got a call from Texas manager Skip Schumaker, a man with whom he had had a great prior relationship.

"He was like, 'Hey, what are you doing next year? Do you want to coach? I want you to be my big league first-base coach with the Texas Rangers,'" said Jankowski. "I said, 'OK, let me think about it. When do you want to start the interview process?' He said, 'Tomorrow.' I talked to (my wife) Linds, and she said, 'Do you know what? I think you've got to take it. We're used to the grind of the season. I think it will be good for you.'

"I don't think I honestly ever retired," Jankowski added.

Following standout careers at Lancaster Catholic and Stony Brook University, Jankowski was drafted by the San Diego Padres and played for nine different major league teams during his big-league career. In 1,552 career at-bats, Jankowski hit 11 home runs, drove in 98 runs, scored 220 runs and sported a .236 career batting average with 104 stolen bases.

"One of the best compliments I ever got was from two coaches I respect, who said, 'You are a true professional,'" said Jankowski. " 'You play the game the right way, and you're an asset in the clubhouse.' That meant a lot to me, especially being a bench player like I was. I showed up every day and left my ego at the door. I cared more about winning than my stat line. That's what a professional does."

The world of major league baseball coaching is filled with uncertainty, change and opportunity. Every year, a host of managers and coaches are fired or let go.

"Some people have come up to me and said, 'You'd be a good manager someday,'" said Jankowski. "I have zero interest in that right now. I don't know what the future holds. I'm so content and loving my current role so much. I'm just trying to be the best first-base coach I can be."