Mets fans, look away. After a trade to the Mariners last season, Kelenic made the leap from good prospect to an elite one, reaching (and thriving at) Double-A just after turning 20. Kelenic profiles every bit as well as a Fantasy prospect as a real-life one, and he profiles as an incredibly promising real-life prospect.
Numbers to Know
- Date of Birth: 7/16/1999
- Height: 6'0"
- Weight: 196 lb
- Prospect Ranks: No. 11 at Baseball America, No. 11 at MLB Pipeline, No. 7 at Baseball Prospectus
- Scott White's Rank: No. 12 Fantasy prospect
- 2019: (A, A+, AA) ..291 BA (443 AB), 23 HR, 20 SB, .904 OPS, 50 BB, 111 K
- Career: .290 (663 AB), 29 HR, 41 2B, 35 SB, .882 OPS, 76 BB, 161 K
Known Injury History
Missed time with wrist and ankle injuries during the summer and then a back issue in the fall
Strengths
Sometimes with high school picks, you're a bit worried they'll take some time adjusting, but Kelenic has hit from the word go. The average has slipped a bit during some of the more aggressive assignments he's received, but swing-and-miss has never been an issue, and the power started showing up in 2019 after a swing adjustment. If it all goes right, Kelenic has the potential to be a true five-category star for Fantasy, one who dominates no matter the format. And perhaps most importantly for a young left-handed hitter, he's yet to have trouble with lefties.
Concerns
It's fair to wonder if he'll be much more than just a good power hitter — 11 of his 23 homers in 2019 came in just 50 games at the lowest level he saw. If he's more like a 25-homer guy and the hit tool slips just a bit, you're starting to talk about more of a good, not great Fantasy option. Of course, for a 20-year-old, that seems like a pretty safe floor. Whatever concerns the prospect community has about Kelenic, they really aren't on the offensive side, and we don't really care much if he can't ultimately stick in center field, do we?
Outside Take
"Kelenic was the best pure high school bat in his draft class and he's shown no problems transferring it to the pro game. He has a very advanced approach from the left side of the plate and consistently barrels up the baseball. He can drive the ball to all fields and his raw power showed up more consistently earlier than expected during his first full year, especially to his pull side. A physical specimen, he's a plus runner who knows how to steal a base and that speed allows him to run down fly balls in center field." -MLB Pipeline
Fantasy Comparison
How does a healthy, left-handed Tommy Pham sound? They're about the same size, and Kelenic's a pretty beefy dude, too. In his best years, Pham has flirted with a .300 average, but it's the all-around skill set that makes him such an enticing Fantasy option when he's on the field. The ceiling projection is probably something like Francisco Lindor with more strikeouts — or Trevor Story with fewer strikeouts, same difference. That's obviously a much less likely outcome, but it's not impossible.
Fantasy Bottom Line
Kelenic has the combination of proximity to the majors and upside that makes for the best dynasty prospects. He could be in the majors in 2020 if he gets the reps he needs, but either way, if he isn't a regular by the summer of 2021, something will have gone very wrong. Kelenic profiles perfectly for Fantasy, and he has every skill needed to develop into a difference-maker before long.
So which sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which undervalued first baseman can help you win a championship? Visit SportsLine now to get rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Kenta Maeda's huge breakout last season, and find out.
