Mariners takeaways: Top prospects Jarred Kelenic, Logan Gilbert arrive in Seattle
Three cracks of the bat Friday night at T-Mobile Park loudly announced the exciting arrival of Mariners top prospect Jarred Kelenic.
The first — his first big league hit — was a two-run rocket over the wall in right center in only his sixth at-bat since being called up from Triple-A Tacoma ahead of his major league debut Thursday.
Kelenic hurried around the bases, was given a resounding ovation by the crowd, followed by a curtain call when he returned to the dugout, and seemed to spark an offense that was struggling through a five-game losing streak.
The Mariners ended it with a convincing 7-3 win over Cleveland that night. The home run wasn’t Kelenic’s only contribution.
He connected twice in his next two at-bats — smoking one pitch deep to right center, and lifting another to shallow left — and used his speed to stretch both into doubles. Following the second, he looked back toward the Mariners dugout and clapped his hands.
The energy and hustle the 21-year-old outfielder has shown in his first few games with the club has not gone unnoticed.
“It’s loud in here,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said following Kelenic’s performance Friday. “Guys are excited, they know what he can bring, and he’s going to continue to have fun, that’s for sure.”
“To see a guy as young as he is come in confident, especially with the work to back it, it’s great to see,” Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger said. “That’s what you want. You want a young player coming up who works hard, who goes about his business the right way.”
Though Kelenic went hitless again Saturday — he was hitting .231/.231/.615 with two runs scored, the two doubles, home run and five strikeouts entering Sunday — his advanced approach has impressed.
“He’s wired a certain way that it is a battle every time he steps into the batter’s box,” Servais said. “There’s going to be some at-bats along the way that he pops up the first pitch or he rolls it over to the second baseman. It happens. It’s part of baseball. But, he has a really good plan. He’s got a really good approach. He’s asking the right questions. He’s very in tune. He watches the game very intently.”
Servais noted Kelenic’s desire to continue to improve at the big league level, and how he studies opposing pitchers during games, watches his teammates and talks with the club’s hitting coaches in the dugout.
“He’s constantly asking questions,” Servais said. “Very inquisitive. That’s just how he is by nature, and I hope that continues for years to come. It is one of those things that does rub off, and it just creates different discussions in the dugout by the questions he asks, because he just wants to learn and get better as quick as he can. All of those are positives.”
Kelenic pointed to competition as an important piece of how he approaches each plate appearance.
“I’m a competitor,” he said Friday after finishing 3-for-4 with the three extra-base hits, two runs scored and three RBI. “I want to win. I want to bury our opponents each and every night.”
When asked about Kelenic’s enthusiasm during his daily pregame video call with reporters Saturday, Servais said he heard the comment when he was driving home postgame Friday and smiled.
“You’ll say those things in the clubhouse and when you’re around your teammates and in the dugout, things like that, but it’s OK to have a guy once in a while that will say it publicly,” Servais said. “I think it’s great. We do want to bury our opponent every night. I don’t know a team out there that doesn’t.
“But, the energy he brings, the excitement, certainly backed up by the talent, we’re starting to see play out on the field here at the major league level. It’s exciting. It’s fun to watch now and it’s going to be fun to watch in the future.”
GILBERT DEBUTS
Kelenic wasn’t the only Mariners prospect to make his debut in Seattle last week. The first game Kelenic played in, Gilbert, the club’s No. 4 prospect and No. 28 prospect in baseball, was the starting pitcher.
“I think one thing that’s reassuring to me is that not only is it my major league debut, but it’s also Logan Gilbert’s,” Kelenic said pregame Thursday. “To be able to start this journey in the big leagues with someone that you started the journey with in the minor leagues makes this transition a little bit easier.
“I was just talking with him in the clubhouse, and as excited as I am to get going with my major league career, I’m just as excited for him to start his major league career, because that guy has worked extremely hard, and he deserves to be here, and I know all the fans are going to see that tonight.”
Gilbert retired the first three batters he faced on eight pitches in a quick first inning before Cleveland scored a pair of runs in the second on a Franmil Reyes solo home run and RBI single by Jake Bauers. He was charged with two more runs in the third on a two-run homer by Jose Ramirez.
But, he struck out each of the final three batters he faced swinging, and finished the outing with five. His opened the third with his first career strikeout, getting Cesar Hernandez to chase a low slider.
Gilbert completed four innings, allowing the four runs on five hits, struck out five batters and walked none on 71 pitches.
“He can certainly build off of that one and I look forward to seeing him progress here as we move through the season,” Servais said postgame that night.
FRANCE, WHITE TO IL
Injuries continue to pile up for the Mariners. The club now has a dozen players on its 40-man roster on the injured list.
They added two more everyday starters — infielder and designated hitter Ty France and first baseman Evan White — to the 10-day IL on Friday.
White, who was a Gold Glove winner for the Mariners as a rookie in 2020, was injured in Thursday’s game, Servais said, diving for a ball and has a left hip flexor strain.
“It’s barking on him, so he’s getting some tests on that,” Servais said Friday. “I’m not sure on timetable, anything like that.”
White has struggled at the plate through his first 30 appearances this season, hitting only .144/.202/.237 with three doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and six walks to 31 strikeouts.
He also missed some playing time with a with a quad strain earlier in the season, though he was not placed on the IL, and four games on the bereavement list earlier this month.
France has inflammation in his left wrist, which Servais said had been ongoing for about 10 days to two weeks. The Mariners ultimately decided to place France on the IL, though Servais was hopeful France wouldn’t be out long.
“The thought is once that calms down here in 3-5 days you can put a bat back in his hand and see how he starts to feel,” Servais said. “You’re always a little wary when it’s something that has to do with your hands or your wrist as a hitter. It is so important. And there’s so many little things going on there that we just take for granted. We need to be cautious with it.”
HANIGER HOMERS
Haniger cranked four home runs last week to bring his season tally to 12, which led the American League entering Sunday.
“He’s been great,” Servais said pregame Sunday of his right fielder, who missed more than 150 games the past two seasons with injuries. “Just phenomenal. Not really knowing what to expect, what we were going to get this year out of Mitch having been out for so long, I can’t say enough about the credit that goes towards him.
“When you’re out that long, it’s hard to stay on top of it. You’re trying to improve physically, but to kind of keep your mental edge and not lose it. It says a lot for him and all of the work he’s put in both physically and mentally to get the results he’s getting now.”
Haniger, who was hitting .258/.303/.556 through 38 games entering the day, was also leading the club in batting average, slugging percentage, homers and RBI among Mariners players who have appeared in more than five games.
“I feel like I’m moving better,” Haniger said. “I feel like if you’re moving better and you have more body awareness and more body control, you’re going to be able to make adjustments faster and you’re going to be able to get more out of your swing or running form — whatever it may be.
“I think combining awareness and control in certain positions that I was working really hard on improving, I think it’s really helped.”
MINOR DETAILS
Outfielder Taylor Trammell, the club’s No. 6 prospect, was optioned to Tacoma on Thursday in the series of moves that brought Kelenic and Gilbert to the big league club.
Trammell was Seattle’s Opening Day center fielder in place of reigning AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis, who was on the IL at the time, and hit .157/.255/.337 with three doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, two stolen bases and 10 walks to 41 strikeouts in his 27 games with Seattle early on.
Both Servais and general manager Jerry Dipoto have noted the importance of giving the young outfielder — who was acquired in the seven-player trade with the Padres last summer, and had not played above Double-A before this season — the opportunity to log consistent playing time in the upper levels of the minors.
“Taylor just needs to play,” Dipoto said last week. “Like so many, he didn’t get the opportunity to play much last year. Everything that happened for him happened at an alt site. He did go down in our fall league and got quite a few reps in Peoria, and was working on a new swing, that I think worked out well. He had a dynamic major league camp and couldn’t have done any more to be impressive in that setting.”
The Mariners saw flashes, Dipoto said, and now want to see Trammell continue to develop at the plate while getting consistent at-bats against upper level pitching in Tacoma.
“I am more convinced that Taylor Trammell’s upside is greater than what I thought it was when we acquired him,” Dipoto said. “There’s a toolset there that is electric when it’s all clicking.”
Trammell has been electric for Tacoma so far. Entering Sunday, he was 9-for-13 in three games with the Rainiers, and slashing at .692/.733/1.154 with two home runs, eight RBI and a stolen base, with two walks to two strikeouts.
Some other notable performances in the Mariners farm system, entering Sunday’s games:
▪ No. 2 prospect Julio Rodriguez had an active nine-game hitting streak — including four multi-hit games — going with High-A Everett, during which he was batting 14-for-37 (.378) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs, nine RBI, three stolen bases and seven walks to nine strikeouts.
▪ No. 5 prospect George Kirby tossed five scoreless innings in his second start with Everett on Friday. The right-hander did not allow a hit and struck out eight while walking one — the first walk issued in his professional career, which spans 31 1/2 innings the past two seasons.
▪ No. 7 prospect Noelvi Marte had an active nine-game hitting streak — including six multi-hit games — going with Low-A Modesto, during which he was batting 17-for-42 (.405) with three doubles, two homers, 10 RBI, four stolen bases and three walks to 11 strikeouts.
▪ No. 10 prospect Brandon Williamson has now tossed eight scoreless innings to open his season with Evertt, after throwing another four clean frames in his second start Saturday. The left-hander allowed one hit while walking four and striking out eight in the outing.
ON DECK
The Mariners begin the second series of this homestand Monday night with a three-game set against Detroit before hitting the road for six days for series in San Diego and Oakland.
Yusei Kikuchi is scheduled to start Monday’s opener against the Tigers, with Justin Dunn following Tuesday. Gilbert is scheduled to make his second major league start in the homestand finale.
This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
