5 optimistic predictions for the Mariners as we head into 2023

Mariners Prediction #2: Jarred Kelenic hits .241 with 30 HR

I'm a stan for Jarred Kelenic. I'll say it over and over, as many times as I need to. This guy has not been given a fair chance yet. Yes, I know that he is in a statistical class of his own for the number of at-bats that he has seen and how low his average is. I understand he has struggled, and that things have been ugly at times for Kelenic.

He also turns 24 in July, and has a lot less exposure to baseball than nearly anyone his age. He is from Wisconsin, where it isn't always easy to play year-round. You get a lot less at-bats and game time there. Then, he lost the whole COVID season. That's not very many ABs for someone his age, and puts him behind the 8-ball.

To me, I see not a 23-year-old, but a 20/21 year-old for the exposure side of it. Now, we've got a full offseason with the Mariners staff, a more mature kid, and a much better team around him than in the past that should help take pressure off of him.

He's got 21 HR in 500 ABs and has done that with a BABIP of just .201. Taking him out of the lineup against LHP (.157/.228/.243) should help him focus on RHP and take advantage of them. I'm saying he finally figures it out, and rakes against them this year, finishing fourth on the team with 30 HR. Yeah, fourth.