Mariners’ Scott Servais: ‘That was the series of Jarred Kelenic. Wow.’

SEATTLE – They’re 5-8 through the first two weeks of a season packed with more expectations than they’ve had in two decades.

But at least there’s the left fielder.

They’ve blown a seven-run lead and are dropping one-run games that once seemed as automatic as San Diego sunshine.

But at least there’s the kid from Wisconsin.

No Mariners fan is celebrating the sluggish start that has featured a key injury to a starting pitcher and pickoff plays gone astray. None is looking at the squad’s fourth-place standing in the American League West with anything but frustration.

But at least they have 23-year-old Jarred Kelenic – whose scorching season has the otherwise miffed die-hards saying, “Finally.”

Kelenic hasn’t put up “solid starter” numbers through the first 13 games of 2023 – he’s spitting out stats that will have him in the MVP conversation if they keep up. And the three-game stretch vs. the Cubs in Chicago was the best series of his career.

It started Monday with a pinch-hit, game-tying home run in the top of the ninth that nonetheless ended in a Mariners loss. It continued Tuesday with a homer to left-center off a first-pitch fastball away (which is exactly what he told hitting coach Jarret DeHart would happen), followed by a double to center that fell a foot shy of clearing the fence. Then, on Wednesday, when the M’s beat Chicago 5-2 to nab their sole win of the series – Kelenic socked a 482-footer to straightaway center – the longest home run for a Mariner in the Statcast era.

Seattle manager Scott Servais summarized the three games succinctly: “That was the series of Jarred Kelenic. Wow.”

One might say it was the road trip of Jarred Kelenic, actually. The man is 10 for 22 in his past six games – all away from T-Mobile Park. He has hit safely in his past seven games, which included one in Seattle, batting .458 over that stretch with an OPS above 1.500. His slash line this season is .351/.415/.703 with an OPS of 1.118, perhaps making some wonder if that 1-2, Julio Rodriguez-Kelenic punch Mariners fans once dreamed of could become a reality. And though it’s way too soon to reach any conclusions (as is the case with the M’s’ record), you have to think Kelenic is feeling as much relief as he is joy.

The hype train surrounding him as the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft was near or equal to that of Rodriguez. But unlike his Dominican teammate, Kelenic floundered against big-league pitching. A .168 average over his first 500 at-bats? A WAR of -0.5 through his first two seasons?

Just getting back to The Show seemed a challenge, let alone showing out. But here he is, locked in a zone that’s unlocking his potential.

“My biggest thing is trying to catch the ball on the plate and be on time for the fastball and react to everything else,” said Kelenic, generally stone-faced despite his achievements. “I think the biggest thing, too, is that I’m just staying in the center of the field.”

Kelenic hasn’t been as mesmerizing in front of tape recorders and microphones as he has been in the batter’s box, but he has no obligation to be. And beyond “trying to catch the ball on the plate and be on time for the fastball,” he has been masterful in working counts and limiting bad swings.

Servais said that despite Kelenic’s homer and double Tuesday, his favorite Kelenic at-bats were the other ones, when he laid off pitches and demonstrated his newfound patience.

“I’m really excited where he’s at, and really, probably more excited to see where this goes going forward,” Servais said. “For years we’ve been talking about the talent, the talent, the talent, the potential, and all those other things – and now we’re starting to see it play out.”

Nobody would fault a fan – or columnist – for being skeptical of Kelenic’s short-term success. We’re weighing 13 games against 500 at-bats from the previous two seasons, after all. But if we’re talking about the Mariners taking a step forward from last year, Kelenic’s improvement could be the difference between a wild-card berth and a division title.

The Mariners have struggled through the first two weeks, yes. But they might be a couple of bad pickoff plays from being over .500. Would anyone in the organization ask for a 5-8 start? No.

But if they knew such a record would come with Kelenic soaring toward what scouts long envisioned him achieving?

That’s a deal they’d probably take.