Tom Verducci on how JK is primed for a breakout

[Coeurd’Alene J]

During the off-season JK was the sponge and as a result keeps a list of everything……..

Ya that should help, more clutter in the brain

[ddraig]

Sounds like JK is gonna be a star... in video games. Big difference in actually bringing it to the ball field. Maybe at 24 years old, he'll figure that out.

[desbcoach]

Show him the curve!!

Does JK possess talent beyond what he is shown? Of course. It almost has never been about his physical talent, but it is almost entirely about what goes on between his ears. Sometimes there are players that just can not get out of their own way. For examples, I put forth Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Mike Zunino. All players that possessed better than average talent that just could not get out of their own heads long enough to let their ability just play the game.

I hope that I am wrong, but JK has had the look of one of those kinds of players, where he is so tied up in mental knots he just can't play to his potential.

Really reminds me of something about the curve when the big high school kid couldn’t hit and they drafted him anyways

[Captain 97]

Show him the curve!!

Does JK possess talent beyond what he is shown? Of course. It almost has never been about his physical talent, but it is almost entirely about what goes on between his ears. Sometimes there are players that just can not get out of their own way. For examples, I put forth Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Mike Zunino. All players that possessed better than average talent that just could not get out of their own heads long enough to let their ability just play the game.

I hope that I am wrong, but JK has had the look of one of those kinds of players, where he is so tied up in mental knots he just can't play to his potential.

This is an argument that everyone seems to lean on and I just don't agree. The ability to recognize pitches is a physical talent (vision). The ability to hit a major league off speed pitch is a physical talent (hand eye coordination). Kelenic does not have the talent to do either one of those things. This idea that if somehow he can just relax and empty his brain he is somehow going to magically obtain those talents is ludicrous. There are thousands of people who can hit a fastball a long way but don't have what it takes to be a major league hitter. Jared just happens to be one of those people. The idea that its all mental is hogwash.

[D-train]

Show him the curve!!

Does JK possess talent beyond what he is shown? Of course. It almost has never been about his physical talent, but it is almost entirely about what goes on between his ears. Sometimes there are players that just can not get out of their own way. For examples, I put forth Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Mike Zunino. All players that possessed better than average talent that just could not get out of their own heads long enough to let their ability just play the game.

I hope that I am wrong, but JK has had the look of one of those kinds of players, where he is so tied up in mental knots he just can't play to his potential.

This is an argument that everyone seems to lean on and I just don't agree. The ability to recognize pitches is a physical talent (vision). The ability to hit a major league off speed pitch is a physical talent (hand eye coordination). Kelenic does not have the talent to do either one of those things. This idea that if somehow he can just relax and empty his brain he is somehow going to magically obtain those talents is ludicrous. There are thousands of people who can hit a fastball a long way but don't have what it takes to be a major league hitter. Jared just happens to be one of those people. The idea that its all mental is hogwash.

Totally agree. He was FAR more of a basket case in 2021 and seem actually quite chill last season and somehow hit FAR worse. Myth busted.

[Donn Beach]

Show him the curve!!

Does JK possess talent beyond what he is shown? Of course. It almost has never been about his physical talent, but it is almost entirely about what goes on between his ears. Sometimes there are players that just can not get out of their own way. For examples, I put forth Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Mike Zunino. All players that possessed better than average talent that just could not get out of their own heads long enough to let their ability just play the game.

I hope that I am wrong, but JK has had the look of one of those kinds of players, where he is so tied up in mental knots he just can't play to his potential.

This is an argument that everyone seems to lean on and I just don't agree. The ability to recognize pitches is a physical talent (vision). The ability to hit a major league off speed pitch is a physical talent (hand eye coordination). Kelenic does not have the talent to do either one of those things. This idea that if somehow he can just relax and empty his brain he is somehow going to magically obtain those talents is ludicrous. There are thousands of people who can hit a fastball a long way but don't have what it takes to be a major league hitter. Jared just happens to be one of those people. The idea that its all mental is hogwash.

Its in degrees, Teo is hitter than can hammer fastballs but has a difficult time with breaking stuff. It took time to be productive. I believe there is an aspect of learning involved. A hitter doesn't have to be good at it but just learn to deal with breaking balls enough to be able to get to fastball counts

[GL_Storm]

Show him the curve!!

Does JK possess talent beyond what he is shown? Of course. It almost has never been about his physical talent, but it is almost entirely about what goes on between his ears. Sometimes there are players that just can not get out of their own way. For examples, I put forth Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Mike Zunino. All players that possessed better than average talent that just could not get out of their own heads long enough to let their ability just play the game.

I hope that I am wrong, but JK has had the look of one of those kinds of players, where he is so tied up in mental knots he just can't play to his potential.

This is an argument that everyone seems to lean on and I just don't agree. The ability to recognize pitches is a physical talent (vision). The ability to hit a major league off speed pitch is a physical talent (hand eye coordination). Kelenic does not have the talent to do either one of those things. This idea that if somehow he can just relax and empty his brain he is somehow going to magically obtain those talents is ludicrous. There are thousands of people who can hit a fastball a long way but don't have what it takes to be a major league hitter. Jared just happens to be one of those people. The idea that its all mental is hogwash.

I agree with you that people who say his problems are all in his head are deluding themselves. Obviously, there is a mental aspect to hitting, but to simply say it's all in his head is silly. But the mental issues are still important and I think have held him back to an extent. A workable theory in this case is that a player that has literally never experienced failure before experienced it for the first time when he got to the major leagues and ran right into his own physical limitations (i.e. not a mental issue). Instead of dealing with this in the minors, he had to figure it out in the majors, and couldn't do it.

But I think it's simply too soon to say that he doesn't have the talent to hit in the majors. Some development happened last year at AAA, which was real improvement. I've also looked closely enough at the numbers and his specific problem areas to make me think there's a reasonable chance for a roughly league average hitter or slightly above (something like a 50 or 55 hit tool). But it will be key for him to understand his own limitations and build his game around that, and he has to learn to adjust to how the pitcher is trying to get him out.

[Donn Beach]

The article is basically about a mental element, the confidence to stick with s swing, not come unglued

[D-train]

Show him the curve!!

Does JK possess talent beyond what he is shown? Of course. It almost has never been about his physical talent, but it is almost entirely about what goes on between his ears. Sometimes there are players that just can not get out of their own way. For examples, I put forth Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Mike Zunino. All players that possessed better than average talent that just could not get out of their own heads long enough to let their ability just play the game.

I hope that I am wrong, but JK has had the look of one of those kinds of players, where he is so tied up in mental knots he just can't play to his potential.

This is an argument that everyone seems to lean on and I just don't agree. The ability to recognize pitches is a physical talent (vision). The ability to hit a major league off speed pitch is a physical talent (hand eye coordination). Kelenic does not have the talent to do either one of those things. This idea that if somehow he can just relax and empty his brain he is somehow going to magically obtain those talents is ludicrous. There are thousands of people who can hit a fastball a long way but don't have what it takes to be a major league hitter. Jared just happens to be one of those people. The idea that its all mental is hogwash.

Its in degrees, Teo is hitter than can hammer fastballs but has a difficult time with breaking stuff. It took time to be productive. I believe there is an aspect of learning involved. A hitter doesn't have to be good at it but just learn to deal with breaking balls enough to be able to get to fastball counts

Well he hit .100 on Curveballs and .029 on Sliders so definitely needs to kick it up a few notches to match Teo who hit .242 on curveballs and .178 on sliders...

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderbo ... SEA&min=10

[Coeurd’Alene J]

Sometimes you have to tip your cap to a pitcher who can throw a curve or a slider for a strike. JK has alot of strike out looking at bats.His walk rate with the wilder pitchers would improve if he could lay off the junk, but he seems to lock up and watch hittable pitches go by only to swing at junk…That to me suggests he is guessing and that is not letting the pitches come to him. That to me is mental