Where do we stand on Kelenic?

[D-train]

The Freaky Friday body swap of Julio and JK (with Julio not being that horrid of course) is the craziest thing I have ever seen is Sports.

JK has triple 7s with 7 BBs 2Bs and HRs. About 10% of his 73 ABs. He has gone from historical bad to historically good. It is truly astounding.

[MarinerFan4Life]

I always viewed JK as a high upside lottery ticket that I advocated we should keep rather then trade for lower upside lottery tickets. His historically bad start was justifiable cause for skepticism and it is understandable if some people are still not yet convinced he will perform consistently across a full season.

I'm obviously glad we kept him and will be rooting for him to cement himself as a cornerstone of the team along with Julio and Cal. There aren't many legit 5 tool players in the league and he has the potential to be one.

[GL_Storm]

I always viewed JK as a high upside lottery ticket that I advocated we should keep rather then trade for lower upside lottery tickets. His historically bad start was justifiable cause for skepticism and it is understandable if some people are still not yet convinced he will perform consistently across a full season.

I'm obviously glad we kept him and will be rooting for him to cement himself as a cornerstone of the team along with Julio and Cal. There aren't many legit 5 tool players in the league and he has the potential to be one.

For me, I didn't see him as a lottery ticket so much. It was more that what we were seeing at the ML level didn't make sense. His swing, his power, none of that jived with the poor performance. I just felt like there had to be a major leaguer in there.

[D-train]

I'm warming to JK, but it's gonna take more than a month of good hitting for me to come around. If he can stay above .800 through May, then I'll consider him as a part of the organization for the next few years. I have to admit I'd love to see someone on the team to become a young, consistent good hitter to add to Julio and France.

He is over 1100 now so it would take a horrid May to get down to 800.

[desbcoach]

I always viewed JK as a high upside lottery ticket that I advocated we should keep rather then trade for lower upside lottery tickets. His historically bad start was justifiable cause for skepticism and it is understandable if some people are still not yet convinced he will perform consistently across a full season.

I'm obviously glad we kept him and will be rooting for him to cement himself as a cornerstone of the team along with Julio and Cal. There aren't many legit 5 tool players in the league and he has the potential to be one.

For me, I didn't see him as a lottery ticket so much. It was more that what we were seeing at the ML level didn't make sense. His swing, his power, none of that jived with the poor performance. I just felt like there had to be a major leaguer in there.

When the dodgers decided they wanted him and tried to trade for him gave me pause , good article on Athletic about him and dodgers hitting coach and a sport physiologist during off season


For the first time as a professional, Jarred Kelenic, 23, did not return to his native Wisconsin for the offseason. He spent most of his winter in Arizona, revamping his swing with Tim Laker, 53, his former hitting coach with the Mariners. Their time together included a brief trip to Pasadena to work with Laker’s mentor, Craig Wallenbrock, 76, the hitting guru known for reviving the career of J.D. Martinez and others.

The first four days of that visit, all Kelenic did was perform drills, hitting off a tee and flips, focusing on his movements without worrying about facing velocity. He wrote down notes to make sure he would remember everything he was thinking, everything the coaches were saying. On the fifth day, he finally took batting practice. And he knew. He knew right away.

“I’ll never forget the first swing,” Kelenic said.

Those close to Kelenic say he deserves most of the credit for his stunning breakout in the season’s first month, citing his perseverance, work ethic and willingness to change. But there was more to it, as there often is in baseball success stories, others who pointed him in the right direction.

The Mariners maintained their faith in Kelenic and allowed him to seek outside instruction, conceding they might not have all the answers. His agent, Nick Chanock of Wasserman Baseball, provided him with constant guidance and support, culminating in what Mariners general manager Justin Hollander called, “the best ‘agent-ing,’ beyond contract negotiations, I’ve seen in 15 years.”

Kelenic put in the work not just with the coaches, but also a sports psychologist who helped him understand he could not be perfect.

“He’s changed the way I look at life, the way I look at the game of baseball, the way I treat myself,” Kelenic said of the psychologist, whom he declined to name.

[Big_Maple]

Kelenic put in the work not just with the coaches, but also a sports psychologist who helped him understand he could not be perfect.

“He’s changed the way I look at life, the way I look at the game of baseball, the way I treat myself,” Kelenic said of the psychologist, whom he declined to name.

Thanks for sharing, desbcoach - interesting read.

I am as stunned and thrilled as anyone with his 180. I remember many of us lamenting that no player in MLB history got off to such a horrid start, and then amounted to anything. JK is proving his critics and cynics wrong.

I don't know enough about swing mechanics to know how it's different, and how it might help account for his breakout at the plate this season. I do think that some of his struggles were him getting in his own head. A top level prospect, first round draft pick who blazed through minors only to emerge at roughly the same time as a superstar center-fielder on the same team had to put pressure on him. I could see him getting frustrated at the plate last year, and then he second guessed himself, and then he started chasing pitches - all while JRod made it look effortless. That has to mess with your head a little.

I still think he is one of the most intense players I have seen. He's fiercely competitive, and even when he hits a homerun, he is scowling the whole time he rounds the bases. He has pretty much one facial expression - he looks like a constipated Clint Eastwood. But in a good way.

[D-train]

[MarinerFan4Life]

Imagine how painful it would have been if we traded JK to the dodgers during the offseason and he started hitting like this.....

[Big_Maple]

Imagine how painful it would have been if we traded JK to the dodgers during the offseason and he started hitting like this.....

...ahem....Chris Taylor....ahem....

[ddraig]

I'm warming to JK, but it's gonna take more than a month of good hitting for me to come around. If he can stay above .800 through May, then I'll consider him as a part of the organization for the next few years. I have to admit I'd love to see someone on the team to become a young, consistent good hitter to add to Julio and France.

He is over 1100 now so it would take a horrid May to get down to 800.

Exactly, but with his past..... Even a bad May he shouldn't drop below .900. As I said, I'm warmint=g to him but I'd like to see some additional consistency before I offer him a $30,000,000 per year contract.