Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
Jarred Kelenic has been on fire to start his professional career. The sixth overall pick in this year’s draft hit .413/.451/.609 in 12 games in the Gulf Coast League.
His play left the Mets so impressed they were unusually aggressive in promoting the 18 year old to Kingsport. With him being young for this level, there is some question about whether he could keep up this level of performance.
Judging from his first game, it appears to be a resounding yes.
In the bottom of the third inning, Kelenic, who was batting fifth, came up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. He delivered with a two RBI single for what was then a 3-1 Kingsport lead.
Later in the game, Kelenic delivered in the clutch.
What a @Kingsport_Mets debut for @JKelenic_1019. A two-run single in the 3rd and then a two-run home run in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/CQNuy8Oj3d
— Kane O'Neill (@WJHL_Kane) July 11, 2018
In what has become an absolute slugfest, Kingsport entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 11-10. That deficit was short lived as Kelenic delivered a go-ahead two run homer to give Kingsport a 12-11 lead.
Overall, Kelenic was 2-for-4 with two runs, a homer, a walk, and four RBI. Going beyond the numbers, Kelenic delivered in the clutch late in the game.
After one game, it appears Kelenic is undaunted by the higher level of competition. After 13 games, it looks like the Mets struck gold with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
