NORTH PORT, Fla. — Jarred Kelenic played at an All-Star level in his first 45 games last season with the Seattle Mariners, then slumped badly in the next 45, a dismal stretch punctuated by breaking his left foot when he kicked a dugout water cooler after striking out in the bottom of the ninth inning of a July 19 game.
Now the former elite prospect, whom the Mariners finally tired of waiting to realize his vast potential, is an Atlanta Brave. And Kelenic, 24, and his new teammates believe things will be different for their new left fielder.
They say Kelenic is in a better position to thrive because he is not facing the same scrutiny as before. Plus, he’ll be batting down in the lineup behind a bunch of established Braves sluggers and might not feel the kind of pressure he faced while batting cleanup for the Mariners a year ago.
And if he does start to struggle at the plate, Kelenic will have plenty of teammates he can go to for advice on how to prevent slumps from snowballing.
“I think just having the older, veteran perspective around is so big,” said Braves first baseman Matt Olson, who played against Kelenic when Olson was an Oakland Athletic and Kelenic was a Mariners rookie in 2021. They faced each other again last season in an interleague series at Truist Park, where Kelenic hit a long home run.
“Not that they didn’t have any guys who’ve been around in Seattle, but there’s a few more years in this clubhouse,” Olson continued. “And I just think it’s good to have somebody there.”
Jarred Kelenic flashed his skills at times in Seattle, but the Braves say his best days are yet to come. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Olson said it’s easy to forget Kelenic is still young — he has less than two years’ service time, so the Braves have five years of contractual control — and hasn’t had the same advantage some others had breaking in with veteran teams.
“At that age, I was not the player that I am now, and I didn’t get to where I am with just myself and my experiences,” said Olson, who hit .247 with 29 homers and a .788 OPS in his age-24 season in 2018. Over the past three seasons, Olson has hit .264 with a .902 OPS while averaging 42 homers and 118 RBIs, including MLB-leading, franchise-record totals of 54 homers and 139 RBIs last season.
Kelenic hit .253 with 11 homers and a .746 OPS in 105 games last season for Seattle, after that torrid start that featured a .297 average, 10 homers and a .914 OPS in 45 games. That stretch featured the kind of production the New York Mets envisioned from Kelenic when they made him the sixth pick of 2018 draft. Seattle expected it after trading for him six months later as a centerpiece in a five-player package in exchange for Edwin Díaz and Robinson Canó.
“He was obviously a big trade guy to Seattle, had talks of (contract) extensions, and he was hitting fourth,” Olson said. “It’s a lot if you think about everything altogether. I haven’t heard it straight from him, but it feels like a good chance for him to kind of hit the reset button now, and join us and know that there’s not some giant expectation of him.”
Olson bats cleanup for the Braves, while Kelenic is likely to hit seventh or lower in the order.
“When you have one through nine like (the Braves’ lineup), there’s no guy that feels like they have to be the guy all the time,” Kelenic said. “Last year we weren’t playing that well, and I think that it had lasted longer than we anticipated because we had so many guys trying to be the guy because we wanted to win. And when you got a lineup like (the Braves), just filled with talent, you have guys that can just go out and do the job, and I think it’s a recipe for greatness.”
If he needs advice, it won’t be hard to find multiple experienced players who can give it to him.
“You pick and choose from people’s brains, hear stories from them on how to handle things,” Olson said. “That’s the kind of stuff that’s priceless in my opinion. So I think it’s going to be a great scenario for him. He’s stupid-talented, and seems like a great dude. I can tell he wants to win, so he’s going to fit right in.”
Kelenic is a Wisconsin native and avid outdoorsman, and he and Braves third baseman Austin Riley talked about hunting exploits and golf before they talked hitting. But now that spring training is underway, Riley and other Braves had a chance to chat with Kelenic and watch him take rounds of batting practice and do other on-field work.
“He’s super driven,” Riley said “I like to use the (phrase) attention to detail. It’s his prep before he goes out in the cage, and the preciseness of his in-the-cage work, and throwing. Just in everything, he has attention to detail. I think that’s pretty unique.”
Kelenic said he felt comfortable right away with Braves players and with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.
“He’s just, like, super positive, which is so good,” Kelenic said of MLB’s longest-tenured hitting coach. “Because when you’re a hitter, you can be negative at times, especially when it’s not going well. But the thing I’ve noticed about him is he’s super positive, always the same guy. He’s consistent. That’s all you can ask for at the end of the day is to just be consistent”
Seitzer likes to spend plenty of time with team newcomers before he starts to suggest any adjustments or changes in approach. He doesn’t operate with a cookie-cutter swing mentality, instead working with hitters as individuals, helping them play to their strengths.
“What I’ve seen so far is impressive,” Seitzer said of Kelenic. “He’s been here (nearly a week) now. He looks good. I’m interested to see how things progress. We’ll continue to have conversations, but he’s an exciting-looking player, that’s for sure.”
After hitting with Kelenic for a few days in January at Maven Baseball Lab in Atlanta, Olson told Seitzer that Kelenic’s talent was “through the roof.” That’s when Seitzer knew this was a potentially major addition to a Braves lineup that last season led the majors in virtually every offensive category and tied a single-season record with 307 homers.
“When Matty makes a comment like that, when he says something like that, it’s, ‘Oh my,’” Seitzer said. “Matty’s pretty quiet about stuff like that, so that was pretty cool.”
Defensively, the Braves will start three outfielders who all have center-field experience and are plus defenders, with center fielder Michael Harris II flanked by NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. in right field and Kelenic in left.
“Really good defensive outfield,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Those three guys that you’re talking about right there — very athletic, really above-average outfielders, that’s for sure.”
The Braves had three players – Olson, Acuña, Marcell Ozuna – who totaled at least 40 homers and 100 RBIs last season, while Riley had 37 homers and 97 RBIs and Ozzie Albies 33 homers and 109 RBIs. Two others, Sean Murphy and Eddie Rosario (whom Kelenic is replacing) had 21 homers apiece.
They don’t need Kelenic to carry a big portion of the offensive load.
“All he’s got to do is just go be himself,” Seitzer said. “He doesn’t have to freaking be the guy. He doesn’t have to be a big piece. Just come be a part of it. That’s what all four guys do, one through nine. It helps when we’re this deep in our lineup that nobody feels like they’ve got to carry the team. Any of their teammates can carry the team at any point in time.”
So far, Seitzer likes what he’s seen.
“Yeah, and he’s so excited,” Seitzer said. “His attitude is so awesome. He’s like, ‘I’m just going to be a sponge. I just want to be around these guys and listen.’ He’s just so fired up, it’s pretty cool. Good kid.”
(Top photo of Jarred Kelenic: Dave Nelson / USA Today)
