Seattle Mariners: Jarred Kelenic sent down but he’s far from out
Summary for the Mathematically Impaired
Kelenic was just below league average for exit velocity but has an average launch angle well above league average, which means that he’s just not getting the distance out of his fly balls that he needs. Or he’s getting a little under pitches that he should be hitting square.
An inability to barrel up baseballs and his high swing and miss clip explain why he batted south of .100. Adding to his woes is the high strikeout rate. The total of not making contact, plus the lack of quality when he does, totals up to a player that needs more time in the minors to hone his craft.
Time for a “do-over”
Monday, Seattle pulled the plug on Kelenic and activated second baseman Shed Long Jr. from the injured list. While the rookie’s numbers are worse than Dustin Pedroia‘s, there’s the argument for sticking it out with Kelenic instead of sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. Pedroia got his call up in 2006 and struggled to reach .200 as a rookie. Red Sox manager Terry Francona stuck with him. The slump continued into the first month of his first full season as he batted .182.
Through his first 51 games, the former MVP was batting .191 without any home runs. Everyone was calling for him to go back to Pawtucket. Tito stayed with him. Pedroia eventually turned it around. He hit .415 in his third month of baseball. From there, Pedroia stayed at or above .300 for the rest of the 2007 season. The rest is history. I believe the M’s top prospect is capable of the same kind of rise to glory.
Some honest comments from @JKelenic_1019 about being sent down. And if you think this somehow broke him or messed him up for the future, you don’t know him well. https://t.co/lp5OBaQWov
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) June 9, 2021