The New York Mets selected outfielder Jarred Kelenic with the 6th overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, making him the first high school player to be selected.
As a result, he was one of Wisconsin’s highest draftees in history. All of the five players picked before he was collegiate athlete.
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He did not play high school baseball due to the winter weather in the state, but instead took advantage of his family’s dairy farm’s indoor training facilities and played for the United States junior national team, including at the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
In the contest, he hit .257/.386/.486 with 7 runs as the US won gold.
He signed with the Mets right away and was sent to the GCL Mets to begin his career after being flown to New York, NY with his family to meet the media and team leaders.
He hit .413 in 12 games there, earning him a rapid promotion to the Appalachian League’s Kingsport Mets, where he hit.253 in 44 games with 5 homers and 33 RBIs.
He did not spend much time in the Mets’ system, as he was traded to the Seattle Mariners on December 1st, along with Gerson Bautista and Justin Dunn, for 2B Robinson Cano and P Edwin Diaz.
In the move, the Mariners also took on the contracts of OF Jay Bruce and P Anthony Swarzak, both of whom have issues.
How Did The Mariners Get Jarred Kelenic?
The Mariners had Jarred Kelenic through trade.
Kelenic, Jay Bruce, Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn, and Anthony Swarzak were traded to the Seattle Mariners on December 3, 2018, for Robinson Canó, Edwin Dáz, and $20 million.