RADIO
Jarred Kelenic 2022 Player Outlook: Better than 2021 But By How Much
3 years agoJarred Kelenic was bad in 2021 and there's no sugarcoating a .181/.265/.350 triple-slash line across 377 PAs. The well-regarded 22-year-old hit a solid 14 HR for the Mariners but otherwise didn't do much. The good news is that Kelenic is almost certainly better than this. He destroyed Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .320/.392/.624 line with nine homers and six steals in just 143 PAs, so there probably isn't much more seasoning that can take place on the farm. His 28.1 K% at the big league level was alarming, but his underlying 11.8 SwStr% and 32.8% chase rate suggest that he deserved a better rate. A 9.5 BB% as a rookie also portends a productive career. Likewise, you have to figure that his .216 BABIP is due for positive regression, especially if he can bring his 15.6 LD% up. That said, Kelenic hit just 8.1% of his grounders to the opposite field last season, suggesting that the shift will always take a bite out of his BABIP. His Statcast power metrics weren't fantastic either, clocking in with an average exit velocity of 92.7 mph on airborne batted balls and a 9.9% rate of Brls/BBE. Kelenic will probably be a good player in 2022, but he has limitations that may prevent his rosiest projections from becoming reality. That makes him a bit of a wild card at an ADP of 133.99.
