SOMETHING DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT ABOUT JARRED KELENIC
Jarred Kelenic has an option. That is fact. Jarred Kelenic is also batting very poorly in practice games. Also fact. Jarred Kelenic is supposedly going to platoon with Adam Duvall. Is that a fact? It’s been said, yes, but real games haven’t started. So…not fact yet. Will Alex Anthopoulos stick with the plan, or could he do something that he’s done with 2 other players?
THE CASE OF ADAM DUVALL
In July of 2018, the Braves traded Lucas Sims, Matt Wisler, and Preston Tucker to the Reds for Adam Duvall. Unfortunately, Duvall was horrible, and carried a .344 OPS in 57 PAs. When 2020 rolled around, Duvall still had an option and Anthopoulos used it, sending Duvall to Gwinnett for most of the season.. They had identified a problem in his swing and wanted him to work it out AAA. Needless to say, he worked it out (.965 OPS in 429 AAA PAs). At the end of July, he was recalled to Atlanta where he carried an .882 OPS for the rest of the year. Since 2019, he’s averaged around an .800 OPS.
THE CASE OF ORLANDO ARCIA
In April of 2021,4 games into the season, the Braves traded Patrick Weigel and Chad Sobotka for Orlando Arcia. Arcia, in a ridiculously small sample, was horrible for the Brewers and they were ready to move on. At the time, it felt like an odd trade to make, but the plan became clear when Arcia was immediately sent to AAA. The Braves sat Arcia down with a plan to completely change his swing. A month later, Arcia made his debut with Gwinnett. Like Duvall, Arcia flourished with the new swing, he dropped his hands quickly to get the bat into the zone longer, and he carried a .932 OPS in 229 AAA PAs. In his 6 years with Milwaukee, he carried a career .658 OPS in 1876 PAs. In Atlanta, that OPS has been .728 in 845 PAs.
WILL THERE BE A CASE OF JARRED KELENIC?
Surprisingly, at least to me, the Braves decided to go with 5 outfielders on the roster: Forrest Wall, Jarred Kelenic, Adam Duvall, Michael Harris II, and Ronald Acuña Jr. The plan is for Duvall and Kelenic to platoon, but is that just AA saying what Kelenic wants to hear for now, rather than the actual truth? If the Braves, like they did with Duvall and Arcia, are truly revamping an entire swing, would it be wise to send Kelenic to AAA to get comfortable with the swing, then come up crushing? There’s no doubt that the defensive side will be fine should they choose this strategy.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
