Braves fans are beginning to embrace the talent that is Jarred Kelenic. Their newest young outfielder got off to a blazing start in his Braves career. However, Kelenic would cool off for the most part in the month of May. That didn't last long though, as Kelenic quickly found his groove when the Braves needed him most.
Ronald Acuna Jr. went to down with a season ending knee injury in late May. Soon after, centerfielder Michael Harris II hit the injured list with a hamstring strain. That pressed Kelenic into a bunch of new experiences for him. Kelenic would now be trusted to play everyday, bat leadoff, and hold down the centerfield spot.
To say he's risen to the occasion is a bit of an understatement. There's no telling where the Braves would be without Kelenic's rise during the summer months. However, many fans quickly associated Kelenic's success to his move into the leadoff spot. But what if I told you Kelenic's success may instead be thanks to a change in his bat?
Kelenic makes the change
Jarred Kelenic was pressed into the leadoff spot on June 15. Since then he's been on an impressive hot streak as he's attempted to jumpstart the Braves offense. However, just one day prior, Kelenic made a change in the bat he was hitting with.
At the beginning of the year through June 13, Kelenic hit with the standard baseball bat most players use. He tapped a little above the knob of the bat, but other than that the bat didn't have anything crazy going on.
One day later, Kelenic switched to a bat that doesn't have knob at the bottom. This bat hasn't really been used by many, outside of Mets infielder Jeff McNeil, who has been using the bat since his minor league days.
You can see a close up of Kelenic using the standard bat here against the Orioles on June 13. Then on the very next day, Kelenic is seen using the McNeil style knobless bat on June 14. The following day saw Kelenic inserted into the leadoff role.
This is when Kelenic took off at the plate. Since Kelenic changed his hitting utensil on June 14, he owns a .299/.343/.526 slash line. He also possesses a healthy .372 wOBA, and 141 wRC+ (as a reminder 100 is league average).
JARRED KELENIC LEADOFF HOMER OFF PAUL SKENES 😱 pic.twitter.com/K562gkHZpY
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 29, 2024
The most impressive part for Kelenic since switching to this bat is the increase in power. Kelenic has smacked six homers with this new bat. He had just four home runs previous to making the change. However, Kelenic has altered the McNeil style bat over the course of the month. As you can see in the photo below, the bat does now have a knob at the bottom. Although, it is still much different than the typical bat players use.
Regardless of the equipment used, Kelenic has been a saving grace for the 2024 Braves. In fact, his performance has been so good that both Seattle Mariner fans and reporters are really upset he ever left.
Understandably so, Kelenic has ascended while the Mariners offense has been among the league's worst. Entering Wednesday, Kelenic's numbers were head and shoulders above every current Mariner. If Kelenic was still in Seattle he would led the team in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, line-drive percentage, and wRC+. That's enough to drive any Mariners fans mad.
Of course, lucky for Seattle they are still in first place in their division. While the Braves may not be in first place in the NL East, they certainly would be further back if not for Kelenic and his new hitting tool.