Topps Series 1 is always a favorite series for many collectors and it’s one of the flagship releases. I always buy at least some packs of Topps Series 1 baseball cards each year. This year, it’s actually not that easy to find some. I went to several sports card shops and the 2022 Topps Series 1 was sold out because people are crazily looking for Wander Franco rookie cards.
Eventually, I went to a card shop with some packs left. I bought all of them and tried to find a Wander Franco rookie card. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a Wander Franco rookie card. However, I got a hit, which is a Ken Griffey Jr. game-used relic card. At the same time, I found a Jarred Kelenic future stars card.
Of course, we know that Ken Griffey Jr. is a Hall of Famer. Jarred Kelenic was a top prospect, but he didn’t have a great 2021 season. However, I’m quite interested in these two players’ first season with the Mariners.
Ken Griffey Jr. made his MLB debut on April 3, 1989. In his first season with the Mariners, Ken Griffey Jr. played 127 games and hit .264/.329/.420 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI. Moreover, he stole 16 bases. He finished 3rd in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Back in 1989, the Orioles pitcher Gregg Olson won the AL Rookie of the Year award.
On May 13, 2021, Jarred Kelenic made his MLB debut, but he went 0-for-4. The next game, he went 3-for-4 and crushed the first home run of his career. However, he only batted .118/.211/.235 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in May. In June, he had 16 plate appearances, but he didn’t have any hits. The Mariners sent him to minors on June 7 and recalled him on July 16. In total, Kelenic played 93 games in 2021 and he was hitting .181/.265/.350 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI.
Looking at those stats, there’s no doubt that Ken Griffey Jr. did hit much better than Jarred Kelenic in the first season with the Mariners. Kelenic’s first season in the majors might not fit the Mariners fans’ expectation. However, Kelenic had 14 home runs in 93 games, thus, he’s only 2 home runs shy of 16 home runs that Ken Griffey Jr. hit in 1989. He did show some power last season, in particular, he crushed 7 home runs in September. Additionally, there’s something worth mentioning.
When we look at Kelenic’s xwOBA, it shows us that Kelenic struggled a lot against breaking pitches and offspeed pitches last June. He didn’t collect any hits last June and the main reason is that he couldn’t make good contact against these two types of pitches. In particular, he had a lot of swings and misses against breaking pitches and offspeed pitches last June. Kelenic’s whiff rate against offspeed pitches was 75% and his whiff rate against breaking pitches was over 60%. Nonetheless, it seems that Kelenic improved after being recalled from minors. His xwOBA went up gradually. In September, his xwOBA against fastballs was over .400. Additionally, he had a .327 xwOBA against offspeed pitches and his xwOBA against breaking pitches was .365. As Ken Griffey Jr. said, “To succeed in baseball, as in life, you must make adjustments.” Kelenic did make adjustments last year against offspeed pitches and breaking pitches. It will be worth watching his performance in his second season in the majors.
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