Mariners former number 1 prospect continues his fall from grace

At one time considered the top-rated prospect in the Mariners farm system, Jarred Kelenic’s tenure with the Braves has now come to an end.

One of the mainstays of Jerry Dipoto’s time in Seattle has been the Mariners having one of the top farm systems in the majors, while also knowing when to move on from certain prospects. A reminder of this came on Wednesday, with news concerning Jarred Kelenic.

As per Brent Stecker of Seattle Sports, Kelenic was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett by the Braves, to clear space on their 40-man roster. He subsequently opted for free agency, thus ending his tenure in Atlanta after two seasons.

The 26-year-old struggled significantly during his second season with the Braves, and was limited to 24 games as he produced a -0.6 WAR, .167 batting average and .531 OPS. He spent the majority of his season in Triple-A Gwinnett, where he had an underwhelming .213 batting average and .595 OPS in 95 games.

Kelenic had hoped that playing for the Braves would present the opportunity to prove he belongs in the majors, after being traded to them by the Mariners following the 2023 season. Instead, this has turned into another disappointment for a player who had all the potential in the world.

Top-rated prospect with the Mariners

Originally selected sixth overall in the 2018 draft by the Mets, Kelenic was traded to the Mariners later on that year. Almost immediately he became one of the top rated prospects in Seattle and by 2020 was ranked number one in their farm system by MLB Pipeline, one place ahead of a certain Julio Rodríguez.

The Waukesha, Wisconsin native finally got his chance at the Major League level in 2021. However, despite being given plenty of playing time by the Mariners and showing some glimpses of what he was capable of, he was overall a disappointment as highlighted by a -1.6 WAR.

Things got worse for Kelenic in 2022 as he produced a .141 batting average and .534 OPS in 54 games for the Mariners and plenty of critics questioned if he had what it took to succeed. He remained confident in his own abilities though and hope sprang eternal after batting .353 with a 1.095 OPS during spring training in 2023.

A more mature Jarred Kelenic ahead of 2023 season

Further encouragement came from Kelenic just coming across as more mature and as determined as ever to succeed. Speaking to the media during that spring training, he said:

“I don’t look at my inconsistencies in the big leagues as a lack of ability. I look at it as a lack of information that I had. This (past) offseason I certainly learned a lot. I had a lot of opportunities to learn from a lot of great people and now that I have more information that I would like, I can now go out and apply what I’ve learned. I think you’re going to see a lot more success this year and we’re going to win a lot more games.”

Early on in the 2023 Major League season it all seemed to finally click for the left-handed bat, as he hit .310 with a tremendous 1.003 OPS during April. However, he was not able to maintain this level of productivity; to be fair, not many would be able to, but by June he was batting .173 with a .588 OPS.

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Cooler incident proves to be the breaking point in Seattle

To look at 2023 as a whole Kelenic’s returns could be considered promising, with career-bests of a 2.1 WAR, 49 RBI, .253/.327/.419 slash line, .746 OPS and 111 OPS+. Concerns remained for the Mariners however, highlighted by an incident in late July when he kicked a Gatorade cooler in frustration and fractured his left foot.

As a result of the injury the outfielder missed nearly two months of the season and remained people of his struggles to control his emotions, which extended to negatively impacting the energy in the clubhouse. In fact the cooler incident arguably proved to be the deciding factor in trading him to Atlanta that offseason.

You can still make a case that Kelenic has the talent to succeed if he’s placed in the right situation, with his combination of power, speed and arm strength. However, all the potential in the world does not mean a thing if you don’t actually fulfil it, and as thing stand he’s on a path to becoming yet another example in the professional sports world of what could have been.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

Would you be tempted for the Mariners to give Kelenic another opportunity by signing him to a minor league deal, or at least offer him an invite to spring training next year? Either way, do you still believe he has a chance to make it at the Major League level, or is he going to become a case of unfulfilled potential? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below