Jun 28, 2015 6 min read

Few athletes in the history of the WPIAL could hit a baseball like Jordan Jankowski.

Jankowski, 26, became the talk of the WPIAL in his final two years of high school baseball as word spread about his ability to hit home runs. Hours spent with his father, Ronald, taking batting practice transformed Jordan into a refined hitter who put up video game-like numbers.

A highly recruited catcher, Jankowski finished his high school career with 36 home runs and 132 RBI, helping Peters Township win back-to-back WPIAL championships.

When he was drafted by the Houston Astros in June 2008, many envisioned Jankowski making the trek through the minor leagues as a catcher. After all, he prevented opponents from stealing bases with his strong arm and quick release. Plus, that kind of power doesn’t come along very often.

Fast forward seven years and Jankowski has become a workhorse out of the bullpen for the Fresno Grizzlies – the Astros’ Class AAA affiliate in the Pacific Coast League, one step away from the majors.

“When I was in high school, I would have never guessed that I wouldn’t have a professional career as a hitter, and now I’m a pitcher,” the 6-1 right hander said. “It was definitely not a thought I had in my mind.

“A few colleges offered me a scholarship to just pitch and I thought, ‘Why would I only pitch when I’m about to be drafted as a catcher? I didn’t think I’d be where I am now. I took batting practice two years ago and it definitely wasn’t the same. I love to pitch.”

Jankowski is working as relief pitcher for the Grizzlies – entering games as early as the sixth inning and as late as the ninth. He has a 3-2 record in 29 games with a 4.01 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 33.2 innings. He has not had an at-bat in the minor leagues.

He began his professional career in 2012 with the Greeneville Astros in rookie ball and has made a steady climb to Fresno, where the Grizzlies sit in first place in their division. After three years shifting back and forth from the starting rotation to the bullpen, Jankowski has found his niche’ as a reliever.

Peters Township head coach Joe Maize still marvels at Jankowski’s competitiveness. Maize recals a WPIAL semifinal matchup in 2008 between the Indians and Seneca Valley, which was led by Cory Mazzoni, who played at North Carolina State and made his major league debut in April with the San Diego Padres.

Jankowski pitched the Indians to a 1-0 victory while allowing only four baserunners and striking out 10. It capped a season where he went 6-1 with 81 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA in 49 innings.

“Everyone was high on Mazzoni and no one said much about Jordan,” Maize recalled. “He went out and threw one of the best games I’ve ever seen a high school kid throw. He’s proven himself with what he’s done. He loves to throw the ball hard and he always wanted to show people how good he is.”

The coaches at Miami (Ohio) took notice. Jankowski split time between pitching and catching during his two years there before he decided to officially become a full-time pitcher. He transferred to Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., where he led Division II in strikeouts during his senior season.

He was drafted by the Astros once again and his career took off. Jankowski went from Greeneville to Quad Cities of the Midwest League to Lancaster of the California League to Corpus Christi of the Texas League.

With each appearance Jankowski picked up the nuances of pitching. Each stop brought invaluable lessons and a reverberating sense of confidence. Jankowski won 12 games between the four teams, earned 12 saves and his ERA was never above 3.58.

His performance in Coprus Christi was enough to earn Jankowski an invitation to spring training with the Astros in March. He appeared in two games, giving up five runs on five hits and a walk over two innings with four strikeouts.

“It was a cool experience being around the older players and being in a major league clubhouse,” Jankowski said. “I got to pitch in front of the big league staff, work with those guys and it was great to share the field with those players.”

Fresno, which competes in a league known for its smaller ballparks and experienced hitters, brought new challenges.

Jankowski’s velocity has reached 94 mph and he mixes it with a splitter he developed last year under pitching coach and former Astros reliever Doug Brocail. He also throws a curveball and the slider he developed in college.

Perfecting every aspect of his game is not an overnight process. It took almost three months for his splitter to become consistent and his refined delivery in the stretch is a work in progress.

“I’ve always believed in myself,” Jankowski said. “This is a game where you have to work on something new every single day. The little adjustments can take three or four weeks to just to kick in. You have to have a short memory. The adjustments from league-to-league is how disciplined the hitters are. You have to change your approach while working on different aspects of your own game.”

The Houston Astros, who sit in first place in the American League West, have three pitchers on their active roster who began the season in the minors. Jankowski is hoping to join the list.

He realizes how close the dream is to becoming a reality, but the thought rarely crosses his mind during the long bus rides and hours spent in the bullpen. For now, Jankowski is enjoying the the clubhouse antics and college-like atmosphere of the minor leagues.

He’s also busy planning to open a baseball training facility that has an emphasis on strength training in the South Hills with Jordan Steranka, a Mt. Lebanon graduate playing in the Pirates’ system, and Derek Law, a Seton-LaSalle grad pitching in the San Francisco Giants’ organization.

Until the tentative opening in late September, Jankowski is focused solely on how to improve, knowing a Major League callup could happen at any time.

“It’s cool to think about how close I am, but at the same time you have to realize it’s not over yet,” Jankowski said. “You have to keep working and make the adjustments to get to the next level. The more you think about it the worse it is because you put more pressure on yourself.

“Ultimately, it’s how you perform. If you pitch well and help your team win, good things will happen.”