Torrid spring continues Kelenic went 2-for-3 with his second triple of spring training in Sunday's loss to the Rangers, raising his Cactus League average to .421 over 40 plate appearances. Impact Kelenic's spring batting line includes two doubles, four home runs and nine RBI in addition to the pair of three-baggers, and he's also struck out at a 20.0 percent clip. The latter number may be almost as encouraging as the others, considering making consistent contact at the big-league level proved extremely elusive for Kelenic over his first two Mariners stints in 2021 and 2022, as evidenced by the 29.7 percent strikeout rate he mustered in that span. However, his highly promising talent has typically remained prominently on display at Triple-A Tacoma during parts of those same seasons, where Kelenic has looked like a much more confident hitter and produced impressively modest 15.4 and 20.8 percent strikeout rates in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
MARCH 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
