WATCH: Mariners' Jarred Kelenic hits one of longest home runs in Wrigley Field history
Kelenic appears to be on his way to a breakout season in Seattle
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
It appears the long-awaited Jarred Kelenic breakout has arrived. The Seattle Mariners outfielder entered Wednesday afternoon's win over the Chicago Cubs (SEA 5, CLE 2) with a .333/.405/.636 batting line and six extra-base hits in 10 games. He'd gone deep in each of the first two games with the Cubs.
Kelenic made it a three-game home run streak Wednesday and it was an absolute tank. He hit it 482 feet into the second deck of the center field bleachers in straight away center at Wrigley Field. Just look at this:
The wind was blowing out at Wrigley on Wednesday, sure, but you don't see other players hitting the ball up there, do you? Kelenic's 482-foot homer is the longest by a Mariners player since Statcast launched in 2015. It's the second longest at Wrigley Field of the Statcast era behind a 491-foot Willson Contreras shot in Game 4 of the 2017 NLCS.
Kelenic's home run is the second longest in baseball in the early going this season. Here are the longest dingers of 2023:
- Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees: 485 feet vs. Giants
- Jarred Kelenic, Mariners: 482 feet vs. Cubs
- C.J. Cron, Rockies: 479 feet vs. Cardinals
- Austin Riley, Braves: 473 feet vs. Cardinals
- Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles: 456 feet vs. Athletics
Acquired in the Edwin Díaz trade with the Mets, Kelenic entered this season as a .168/.251/.338 career hitter in 147 big-league games spanning 2021-22. He was demoted to Triple-A several times and tinkered with his swing constantly, but he largely looked like a lost cause. Another round of adjustments followed this winter and it seems Kelenic has found something that works.
Still only 23, Kelenic was a consensus top 10 prospect in baseball in both 2020 and 2021. Wednesday's win improved Seattle's record to 5-8 in the early going.
