The Mariners are expected to promote star outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. The plan is for Kelenic to be up for the beginning of the Mariners’ series against the Indians.
This is much-anticipated news for the Mariners and their fans, as the 21-year-old has done nothing but thrive in the minors since they acquired him from the Mets in the pre-2019 Edwin Diaz/Robinson Cano blockbuster. The Mets used the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft on Kelenic, who has since batted a superb .294/.370/.523 with 31 home runs in 771 minor league plate appearances. He’s off to a dazzling .444/.500/.778 start with two home runs in his first 20 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
The Mariners decided not to promote Kelenic at the start of this season, owing in part to a desire to get him some work in Triple-A ball and the left knee strain he suffered during the spring. Service time also seemed to play some role in it, as then-CEO Kevin Mather revealed in February the team offered Kelenic a contract extension. Mather went on to imply that Kelenic wasn’t going to crack their Opening Day roster after he rejected the M’s offer, but he’d be up by the end of April. By then, the Mariners would have secured an extra year of control over Kelenic. Mather’s comments set off a firestorm, leading agent Brodie Scoffield to say it was “made crystal clear to Jarred” he’d have already been in the majors had he taken the extension. Mather resigned his position after his statements came to light.
General manager Jerry Dipoto suggested last week that Kelenic was nearing a call-up to the bigs, and the hope is that he’ll provide an immediate spark for their offense. The Mariners have struggled recently, having dropped to 18-17 after a 12-7 start, and their offense ranks below average in both runs scored (19th) and wRC+ (22nd). Kelenic, for his part, “is an elite young hitter who projects to be an offensive force,” according to Baseball America, which considers him the sport’s fourth-best prospect. Other outlets such as ESPN (No. 3), The Athletic (No. 4), MLB.com (No. 4) and FanGraphs (No. 5) are similarly bullish on Kelenic.
Now that he’s coming to the bigs, Kelenic will play a prominent role in a Seattle outfield that has received quality production from regulars Kyle Lewis, the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year, as well as Mitch Haniger. Kelenic should combine with those two to form an exciting trio in the present, while Seattle also has another high-end outfield prospect, Julio Rodriguez, waiting in the minor league wings.
The timing of Kelenic’s promotion puts him on track for Super Two status, meaning he’d be eligible for arbitration on four occasions. The Mariners are also slated to have control over Kelenic through the 2027 campaign.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Oh boy, here we go! Can’t wait to watch this kid get a chance against big league pitching, should be a lot of fun to watch!
Is Bieber pitching Thursday?
No, he’s pitching tomorrow.
I guess next up in the prospect watch is the Wander Franco/Vidal Brujan double-play combo. Good grief they’re going to be stacked.
Can’t wait to see The Hit Kelenic open for biz.
Nice
They need to bring up Logan Gilbert next. This is the year to start transforming from the rebuilding stage to the competitive stage. Then move from the competitive stage to the contending stage.
Gilbert will likely have 2-3 more starts in AAA. If those go well, there is no reason to keep him there longer as long as his pitch count is around the 90 mark.
Yeah at least two more starts for Gilbert, and I think they may bring up Raleigh with him if he’s hitting.
No sense in having 3 catchers on the ML roster. Send Torrens down?
Torrens doesn’t have options and Raleigh’s not off to the same, torrid start that Kelenic is. He’s probably going to stick around Tacoma for at least a few more months.
Gilbert will probably get another start in AAA, but I wonder if he won’t get the call after that. Seattle’s starting pitching depth has been exhausted, the bullpen is getting taxed, and Logan should be stretched out enough to potentially offer 5+ innings.
Divish said Torrens had one option left on the radio last week. I agree on the Raleigh timeline.
Good call 24- from what I’ve been reading/listening to, Big Cal has earned Gilbert’s trust and respect. I’m super excited to see all three of those top prospects
they’re waiting to make him #20,000
He instantly has a top-5 OBP on the Mariners.
Bazzzzzzzzzing!
“Jarred Kelenic.” Hmm, that’s a funny way to spell “Jarred Kelenic”….wait, nvm (rubs eyes) its actually him. They are actually promoting Jarred Kelenic. Wahoo!
#stoked
Need to get to Everett to see Rodriguez before he moves up. Will be interesting to see if he goes to AA or AAA. More than likely AA then with a few months left AAA.
I have season tickets to the Aquasox and am heading there Thursday. thought crossed my mind that if I wait too long I may miss Rodriguez.
I saw Julio Rodriguez (and a start by Emerson Hancock) last week in Hillsboro, Oregon.
That is nice Muskie. Talking Baseball I wish the baby Ms were still in Bellingham. Was fun to go watch them play. The team owner had a bunch of demands he wanted fixed right away. The city didn’t have the funds to do it all. So he broke the lease. Moved them to Everett and renamed them Aquasox. I can’t drive for medical reasons so I have to bum a ride with daughter and son in law. Don’t want to intrude on family time too much.
It was always fun to go watch our players and other teams top prospects too. Was there when Jr Sr and mom came and watched the younger brother play. They had so much security couldn’t get close to them. At the time I wanted Srs autograph more than Jrs. Was a huge Big Red Machine fan.
I hope we get down there in time. Maybe see Rodriguez and Hancock on the same game. I think Marte is there too another good one to see.
Hoping to see Rodriguez and some of the other Maruners pA-level prospects when Everett plays the Tri-Cities Dust Devils in about five weeks. This is an exciting time to be an M’s fan!
I’m going to try to make those games too. I got to see Evan White’s pro debut there in Tri Cities a few years ago.
Awesome. Now when/if the M’s start to slide, does that speed up Julio’s path to the bigs?
Absolutely not. He is in his age 20 season after missing his entire age 19 season of development due to COVID. And he has only 23 games and 90 at bats at A+ ball.
But he’s a beast
Why Brodie Van Wagenen decided it was a good idea to trade his recently drafted 1st rounder in a trade that was largely a salary dump for the other team is something we may never know.
Also, I remember 3 years ago when people slammed Preller for not trading Jhoulys Chacin and Craig Stammen at the 2017 trade deadline because they were about to be free agents and trading them meant the Padres might have gotten to draft before the Mets and Preller’s fanboys rushed to his defense because “It’s not like the Mets are going to draft anyone good anyway.”
Said fanboys can admit that they were wrong now.
He moved the kid so he can get the cheap, dominant closer at the time and his former client – Cano. It was bold, but in hindsight awful.
people forget that Bruce and Swarz were going the other way. Cano should have at least been close to worth the salery minus the money you saved on the other two, but alas.
At least Diaz has been very good this year (and last year, too). Cano was good last year (maybe due to the drugs) and they’re not paying his salary this year. The deal will always look bad but at least it’s not as bad as it could be. At least not yet.
If Mets get far into playoffs this year or next with Diaz a part of it then it was worth it all.
The Mets going deep into the playoffs will rely much more on the production of their infield and health of the rotation than Edwin Diaz. Dodgers traded Yordan Alvarez for Fields and made the playoffs but I don’t think it was all worth it.
Edwin Diaz is and always was a better player then Fields though.
No doubt.
Brody really blew it!This kid is the real deal.
I’d argue it was a bad move at the time because it came attached to the Cano contract and the Mets should have been building for the future in a different way. In hindsight it was awful.
LOL
It was Sandy’s pick so Brodie wasn’t attached to him.
If Kelenic is essentially Babe Ruth and it was so obvious on draft day, how come no one ever busts the chops of the 5 teams ahead of the Mets that passed on him? Or the 24 teams or whatever it was that passed on Trout?
Whether he is Babe Ruth or Mike Trout. The blast the Mets for trading him away for Cano and look where Cano is now. It’s like when my Red Sox traded Babe Ruth they blast the Red Sox and not all the other teams that passed on Ruth.
I blame the Wilpons for this, not Van Wagenen. Van Wagenen had been a highly successful agent, but was not qualified to be a GM. Obviously hindsight makes the hire look even worse, but from thee start it looked like a real head scratcher.
The Wilpons seemingly hired him based on his pitching them that the team could compete and be profitable based on some trades like this “blockbuster” that were so “smart” that they would actually not be all that costly, which would be music to their ears after Madoff.
Meanwhile, competent GM candidates, who had actual front office experience (like Chaim Bloom), were likely being far more truthful. Sure, the team might be competitive, but it was unlikely as constituted at the time. So the best course of action was to rebuild some, not trade away prospects for bad contracts,
Of course the Wilpons fell for the sales pitch. That is what they do.
And of course Van Wagenen was going to try it. He was an agent and knew his audience from dealings with them and his clients over the years.
BVW did NOT trade Kelenic for Cano, he traded for Diez. Cano was Bruce/etc. And The Mets have LeftHand hitting O.F.s. Kelenic is not a CF. which is what the Mets need. This is 3 years later. NOT A GREAT TRADE but if Kelenic is not what everyone says he should be then the Mets won that trade, If he’s Mike Troutish Mets lost. If he good but not super & Diez is a top closer?? even (I’m not closer crazy)
Eh, even if Kelenic no more than matches the value of, say, Conforto over his control years he’s still more valuable than Diaz, who is a very good reliever, but still, a reliever.
so relievers don’t win games too. Relievers don’t make a good team really good. Even if he’s Conforto & Diez is Diez then it’s even.
Relievers, pitching only about 60-80 innings per game have no shot at being as valuable as good position players. This is pretty obvious, I’d think. Yes relievers can be valuable but, just to use WAR to judge value, a great reliever approaches 3 WAR. A good position player like will be worth more. (And even lights out relievers rarely have the chance to collect as much as 3 WAR) It’s basic math, it’s hard to be as valuable at your job as someone who works an important job at a rate of several times more often than you do. Again, this isn’t controversial, but rather obvious. Nothing I’ve said indicates that I don’t understand that relievers contribute. But Conforto, Nimmo, Alonso, all contribute more than a one inning guy possibly can. It’s someone playing 70 innings vs somebody playing over a thousand.
Question for Mariners fans.
If the team begins to sag but Haniger keeps producing, do they consider trading Mitch at the July deadline? He’s not an old player (turns 31 on December 23), but with offenses being what they are in 2021, he might fetch a nice return. He’d certainly be among the best outfielders on the market at a bargain salary for 2022.
Yes.
i think its fairly likely unless they can work out an extention. not the right age and too injury prone for this window. may want MLB ready talent though, so perhaps he’s best dealt in the offseason.
They should be willing to listen.
I’ve been in favor of trading him for years, but now I’d like to see the team extend him and have a rotation in the next year or so of Kelenic, Lewis, Hanger, Rodriguez in the OF/DH. Then have France at 2B or 3B
I think they will find a way to keep Haniger. J-Rod is still a year or two away, Trammell needs more seasoning, and Lewis needs to show he can stay healthy. With the departure of Kyle Seager after the season pretty much a sure thing, Ty France will be the starting 3B (they have no one else), and Haniger could be used as the DH and to spell guys in the OF. Haniger still has a place on the team, even with Kelenic, and I think the M’s will step up to sign him to a decent deal, as they don’t have a ton of money committed after this season.
I suspect the Mariners will exercise the $15+ million team option on Kyle Seager, who has posted 5.5 fWAR, valued at $43.8 million, in 201 games since the start of the 2019 season.
I personally don’t want that. Dipoto has already rebuilt the farm and the M’s have plenty of prospects on the way. This is a year where we try to move toward competing. There aren’t enough quality OF options behind Haniger, Lewis, and Kelenic in the immediate future. If anything, I’d prefer trying to move Trammell in a package for a quality player. I would option him and see if he lights up AAA to try to regain value.
Good Question, I’m not a Mariners fan but I could see that happening. Especially with Kelenic, Trammell, Lewis and Rodriquez in the mix. I think it comes down to do the M’s keep him as insurance or as the DH for next year.
Lamar Smith, I’m not a Mariners fan either, though Haniger’s comeback is one of my favorite MLB of the season. He has value should they decide to keep him. I’m just thinking he will also have considerable value at the July deadline. It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out. Btw, I’ll take undergoing Tommy John Surgery over Mitch Haniger Surgery every time.
@ceyhey
The answer lies in another question- Will there be a demand among contenders for an OF? When Detroit traded JDM, there was no demand, and in hindsight, they should have taken the 4th round pick rather than trade him. He was the best OF on the market, but with no demand, it just didn’t matter.
LOL
Dude is going to be no better than a werth, or a pence type player. Not a dig at them by saying that, but just that kelenic isn’t going to be the next trout.
I’m feeling very confident it’s somewhere in between that. Perhaps a Giancarlo Stanton with less power and a bit more contact.
So your saying NOT Giancarlo Stanton.
you’re*
If every prospect was evaluated on whether or not they’re the next Trout we would have maybe 1 or 2 top prospects a decade.
I’d say the same thing if I was a Mets fan too
He’ll be better than Brandon Nimmo. By a lot.
Nimmo with a career .400 OBP?
Nimmo at age 28 still hasn’t proven he can stay healthy. However, he has proven he’s not a starting CF.
Why not?
Werth .267/.360/.455 15 year career
Pence .279/.334/.461 14 year career
Mariners fans should be ecstatic if they can get that production for 14-15 years from Kelenic. Almost 2 decades of 15 points higher than league average production.
Why aren’t you in a major league front office with all your insight and knowledge of what a prospect will turn out to be?
@Beg – To add to your point Werth was instrumental in the Phillies WS season and beyond. When Pence was traded to the Gigantes he was also instrumental in them winning the grand prize also. If Kelenic is as good as either of them at the least it’s great for Seattle. At worst it’s still great for Seattle. Personally I’d love to see the M’s contend in that division again. S
findingnimmo: At first glance I thought you meant that he “Dude was going to be “WORTH” a PENCE with a typo. Anyhow I disagree and agree with your comment. I think he’s going to be better than Werth and Pence but he’s not going to be worse than Trout.
“
Idk why everyone is taking my werth pence comparison as a bad thing. I have heard so much about this guy and just feel like expectations should be slowed a bit. But by saying werth or pence I’m not saying he is going to be Fernando Martinez. He will be an all star or two and have some good stats on the back of the baseball card but all I meant was that he isn’t god and isn’t a trout or a Barry bonds. In my unprofessional opinion and just as the rest of us chat in this app/website. Just stirring up debate. But stand by my hunch. We shall see over the next few years
Because your comment/stirring up debate was unnecessary and had nothing to do with the topic at hand. Especially since NO ONE compared him to or said he was the next Trout.
?
Not going to be worse than Trout? Wow consider applying at MLB!
RJNarvick: I mistyped my comment. (eye roll emoji). I was thinking Kelenic’s NOT going to be as good as Trout & he’s going to be WORSE than Trout.
But no one thinks he’s gonna be the next Trout. If he’s the next Conforto, it was a good draft pick.
Glad to see he is getting his shot at the show… Now coming from a Halo fan that watched Jerry deplete our farm…I am curious to see if the M’s are competitive will they trade any of their top prospects for filling their holes in the summer? Answer should be yes because he seems to make moves that other teams wouldn’t do. I would think it takes any needed move to stop their long playoff drought. Stay tuned…
No because Moreno isn’t the owner of the Mariners. With that said he’s done a much better job evaluating talent in Seattle then he did was the angels.
Very insightful…thank you? Now if the M’s were to win a playoff game with him there I could agree with you. But talent seems to be traded more often with Jerry in charge. My question is for the current Mariner fans if they think they will trade any of their top prospects by this summer
Any GM who trades this guy should be fired… wait…
An Angels fan in the Trout Era bashing another team for not winning a single playoff game.
Why am I suddenly feeling like I need to take a dump on BVW’s front porch?
Let me know when your done. Then my turn.
Mariner fans have so much to be excited about. This guy looks like the real deal. The smartest thing was sending him down at the beginning of the year and getting that extra year of free agency. This is one prospect I would trade Aaron Judge for immediately. That’s not happening though. Is Kellenic a leadoff hitter right now? I think eventually he becomes a 3 hitter in the M’s lineup.
If this guy does ok maybe the mets can get him for diaz and cano?
In today’s baseball, if this kid doesn’t get off to an amazing start, people will be calling him a bust after 50 below average ABs. This kid is going to need some time to figure out MLB pitching and become comfortable. He’s definitely a Top 20 overall prospect and all signs point to him as being a future plus, or plus-plus player. Let’s give the kid a real chance to prove himself in the majors before calling him a bust or before anointing him to Cooperstown for that matter. Keep in mind that even the great Mike Trout struggled in his first year after being called up. Kelenic is someone you need to play the long game with…I’d be excited if I were a Mariners fan.
He was ready on Opening Day. He’s the best LF in the organization. The M’s manipulated his service time, plain and simple.
How could anyone argue it was the 24 PAs in AAA this year that got him ready. At least he’s up now.
It wasn’t service time manipulation. The cutoff was on April 16th. If they were actively trying to manipulate service time they’d have called him on up that day.
he was injured and had barely played above A+ but okay
See you in Cooperstown, Jarred.
Tickets are $24.99
Mets fans are pissed even tho he doesn’t have a spot on our team. Unless he is trout or Betts I could care less about the Kelenic trade. Will probably just be another conforto. Who we will probably just resign.
So you do care about the Kelenic trade?
He won’t be close to any of those players.
r/whooooooooooosh
He’d have a spot next year
If he can produce a stat line close to this as a rookie, are we happy enough, M’s fans?
G PA AB R H 2b
127 506 455 61 120 23
HR. RBI. SB. CS. BB. SO.
16 61 16 7 44 83
BA. OBP. SLG
.264 .329 .420