GL_Storm wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2023 4:00 pm
MarinerFan4Life wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2023 3:48 pm
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.