When Jarred Kelenic was acquired by the Mariners from the Mets on Dec. 3, 2018, the halcyon vision began to come into focus immediately:
One day in the not-so-distant future, Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez — then just 17 years old yet so obviously a major talent in formation — would team up to give the Mariners the sort of star power in the outfield that teams dream about.
That was the vision, anyway — a bountiful future in Seattle built around two young would-be superstars; the reality has been much shakier.
First of all, a third prospective member of that hypothetically glittering outfield, Kyle Lewis, never could shake a chronic knee injury and wound up being traded to Arizona this past offseason.
Kelenic soared through the minors as envisioned but was unable to find his footing in the major leagues in both 2021 and 2022. Entering this season, with his career average cratered at .168, Kelenic's future as an impact major-leaguer was very much in doubt. Conversely, Rodriguez had burst on the scene last year as a fully formed superstar, poised to be not just the face of the Mariners, but baseball.
So what happened? Rodriguez has stumbled out of the gate in 2023, displaying flaws and prolonged slumps that he had seemed immune to. And Kelenic, on the verge of being relegated to the dreaded realm of flamed-out prospect, has experienced a stunning resurgence — without question the Mariners' steadiest and most damaging hitter all season.
And now it's time for a renewed dream, one that was teased on Monday in a romp over Oakland — and one that could revitalize this Mariners' season. If the Mariners are to break out of a seasonlong offensive malaise that has undermined their hopes of another playoff run, it could well be spurred by Kelenic and Rodriguez finally humming in unison. At least, that's still the dream scenario.
In their 11-2 victory over the Athletics, admittedly a burnt-out shell of a major-league team, Rodriguez, batting third, went 3 for 4 with two doubles and three runs scored. Kelenic, at cleanup, went 3 for 4 with a home run and three runs driven in. It was just the third time this season those two had multiple hits in the same game, supplemented by Ty France reaching base four times from the No. 2 hole.
"When two, three, and four in your lineup are rolling like that, we're really good offense," Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
On Tuesday, in a 3-2 Seattle win over the A's, Rodriguez and Kelenic contributed one hit apiece, while France's solo home run in the fifth provided the margin of victory. But France had to come out of the game after being hit on his left hand in the eighth inning.
Kelenic, at age 23, has displayed a maturity and focus all year that is admirable. Reworking both his swing and mental approach in the offseason, he has shown vast improvement in both aspects of his game. The most encouraging part has been Kelenic's ability to make course corrections, sometimes in the midst of the game, and to "flush" poor at-bats that in the past might have haunted him for days.
It would have been hard to imagine this type of role reversal a year ago, but now it is Rodriguez — renowned for his verve as well as a joyful approach to baseball that's contagious — who at age 22 must learn to cope with failure. Kelenic could be a role model in that regard. Whereas it all seemed to come so easy for him last year, this version of Rodriguez has been searching in vain for answers as his average hovers under .220. While Julio's outward demeanor has remained unflinchingly upbeat, that doesn't mean he is immune to pressing and other vestiges of his rough start.
"He's human," Servais said. "He's a young guy that's used to having a ton of success when he goes out there. And it can get frustrating at times when you're not getting the results you're looking for. You think you're putting in the right work and you're doing everything, and it's just not clicking yet.
"So he's human. He's just like everybody else. He's had his moments where he's been frustrated. But I've often talked about Julio, the joy he plays with. There's still joy there. He still loves the game. There's no question about it; it's just a little bit tougher this year than it was last year."
The Mariners need Julio to be Julio if they are going to get where they want to be this season. Kelenic has sustained his stellar performance long enough to give reasonable hope that this is the new normal, not some aberrational flash in the pan. And if those two can mesh — and mash — simultaneously as they did, tantalizingly, on Monday, it bodes well not just for this season, but many seasons beyond. That's the potential beauty of a nucleus in their early 20s.
"Both those guys have a lot of upside," Servais said. "If we get them going at the same time, we will be really fun offense."
Servais briefly pondered the notion of a Kelenic-Rodriguez tandem that's in sync and raking with consistency — a Seattle vision quest for four years and counting.
"That could be pretty cool. That could be pretty cool for a long time."
