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Kelenic went 0-for-4 in his much-hyped debut on Thursday night in the Mariners' 4-2 loss to the Indians.
Relax, Mets fans, he looks like a bust.
Jarred Kelenic went 0-for-4 in his much-hyped debut on Thursday night in the Mariners’ 4-2 loss to the Indians. In fairness, not many of the Mariners were able to get much done against Indians starter Zach Plesac, who took a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
“Players, sometimes they hit the ground running, and sometimes they don’t. The major leagues are difficult,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said as Kelenic debuted alongside Logan Gilbert, the franchise’s top pitching prospect.
“But there’s never any more excitement than with the anticipation of the arrival of talented young players like these and we’re excited to see what happens across the board. It’s gonna be a fun time for us.”
Kelenic led off and started in left field. His first at-bat ended when Indians outfielder Josh Naylor reached into the stands to corral a foul ball.
Kelenic’s debut comes two-and-a-half years after the Mets traded him and Justin Dunn to Seattle for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. The move has the potential to be among the worst in the Mets’ history as Kelenic — the Mets’ third-ranked prospect at the time — developed into one of the most prized players in baseball.
“I laughed out loud when he had a homer in his first Triple-A at-bat off a lefty, because that’s about as appropriate to how Jared Kelenic accepts challenges as you can imagine,” Dipoto said Thursday. “And I’m sure he’s going to be up for this next one, which is facing the best pitchers in the world night after night.”
Before the game, Kelenic said some of his nerves were eased because Gilbert was debuting on the same night.
“To be able to start this journey in the big leagues with someone that you started the journey with in the minor leagues makes this transition a little bit easier,” Kelenic said. “I was just talking with him in the clubhouse and as excited as I am to get going with my major league career I’m just as excited for him.”
— With AP
This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Justin Terranova
