Three Bold Mariners Predictions for the Month of May

Mariners Bold Prediction #3 for May: Jarred Kelenic gets good

Okay, this might be the boldest one I’ve made so far this year. Jarred Kelenic has really been struggling so far this year, and has not been able to do much good at all at home plate. His defense has actually been a lot better than it was last year (and honestly, could it be much worse?), so that has made it a bit more palatable to have him in the lineup.

Through 21 games, he is actually a 0.5 dWAR player, which is pretty darn good. On offense, he has only been hitting .141/.211/.297 with a .206 BABIP and a K rate of 40.9%.

He’s trying to hard, and it’s easy to see. It was the same thing that plagued him last year.

You know what though? With the weather heating up, and the rest of the Mariners bats picking up, things are going to come easier to Kelenic. There is hardly going to be any pressure on him, as there won’t be a need for his bat for a while. Having a lineup that can hit at every spot takes off the pressure of MUST HAVE performance from him. He talks with Julio, Edgar, and a couple of the vets in the lineup, and simply put… he relaxes.

It’s not crazy. He doesn’t hit .330 or anything like that. Instead, he gets back to September of 2021. He starts hitting in that .260 range, and gets used to seeing MLB pitches, and putting good swings on the ball. He blasts a couple of home runs and starts to get in the groove. With the Mariners being young, they keep him up and don’t pressure him or put out rumors of sending him down.

Those are my bold predictions for the month of May for the Mariners. What do you think? Bold enough? Too vanilla? Let me know, and as always… Go Mariners!