S ince being selected in the first round (6th overall) of the 2018 MLB Draft, much has been expected of Jarred Kelenic. And much has happened in five years.
Just six months out of Waukesha (Wis.) West High School, Kelenic, then 19, was traded from the Mets to the Seattle Mariners as the anchor of a seven-player deal in which the Mets received Edwin Diaz. It wasn’t long after that Seattle offered their top prospect a six-year contract extension – all before the kid had even played a game in the big leagues. He declined, opting to bet on himself. That decision was tested when he hit just .168 in a combined 558 plate appearances with Seattle in 2021 and ’22. Those who had invested in his bigger cards began to panic a bit as the kid continued his struggles on the field.