Travis Lee Hafner of The Cleveland Indians Baseball Team

Travis Lee Hafner, born June 3, 1977 in Jamestown, North Dakota, is a left-handed hitting designated hitter (DH) in Major League Baseball (MLB) who plays for the Cleveland Indians of the American League (AL) Central Division. He attended Cowley County College in Arkansas City, Kansas and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 31st round of the 1996 draft.

In 2002 he played for the Texas Rangers, where he made his Major league debut on August 6. During that season, in 632 at-bats, he hit .242 with one home run and six runs batted in (RBI). During the off season of 2002 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians along with Aaron Myette for Einer Diaz and Ryan Drese.

During the 2003 his success got better as he split time between first base and designated hitter and play about 3/5 of the season. He batted .254 with 14 home runs and forty runs batted in. He even had two steals getting caught only once. It was also the same season he hit for the cycle, on August 14 against the Minnesota Twins, and being the first Indian to do so since Andre Thornton in 1978.

In the next season, 2004, he not only became the starting DH for the Indians but also improved greatly offensively. He batted .311 (10th in the MLB) had 28 home runs (16th in the AL) and hit in 109 RBIs (9th in MLB). He also came in the top ten in the MLB for several other categories including, on-base percentage (OBP), slugging percentage (SLG), doubles (2B), extra base hits. Pronk also hit his first career grand slam against Kyle Lohse of the Minnesota Twins on April 12, the Indians' home opener.

In the begging of the 2005 season Hafner signed a three-year contract that would last through 2007 with a 2008 club option. During he 2005 season he batted .305 with 33 home runs and 108 RBIs. He again topped the statistical standings that season finishing in the top ten of multiple categories. He was also named Player of the Month for June, when he batted .345 with ten doubles eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 24 games. And then in the first full week of July he was named the Player of the Week. But, on July 16th he was beaned in the face with a pitch from Mark Buehrle and placed on the 15-day DL, not returning until August 4th. At the end of the season the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) named him the Indians' Man of the Year and finished in fifth place of the AL's Most Valuable Player (MVP) ballot voting.

This past season Travis Hafner became one of the best power hitters in today's game. Although his season was cut short after being hit in the hand by a pitch from C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers he still managed to post MVP eligible numbers. These numbers included a .308 batting average, 42 home runs and 117 RBIs. Hafner also made history on July 7 when he became the first player in Major League history to hit five grand slams before the All-Star break. He also joined Hall of Famer Ernie Banks of the 1955 Chicago Cubs, Jim Gentile of the 1961 Baltimore Orioles and Don Mattingly of the 1987 New York Yankees as the only players to hit five grand slams in a season. In the month of August Travis Hafner completed two MLB achievements, when he hit tied Don Mattingly's single season grand slam record off a pitch from Luke Hudson of the Kansas City Royals and became the AL Player of the Month.

This current season Travis Hafner is hitting. .272 with ten home runs and 41 RBIs. Right now he is on a cold streak but most likely Pronk will pick it up from here and might even become the 2007 AL MVP and the first DH to do so.