Servais: Kelenic will 'keep pushing envelope'

SEATTLE -- There was a lot to unpack from Jarred Kelenic’s emphatic Major League arrival in Friday’s 7-3 win over Cleveland, and Mariners manager Scott Servais had a big smile on his face doing so one day later.

Here’s a loose recap of what Seattle’s skipper had to say about the big league breakout of MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 overall prospect: a 3-for-4 night with a homer for his first career hit, a pair of extra-hustle doubles and three RBIs.

• Kelenic hitless in 7-3 victory Saturday

On Kelenic’s 'bury our opponents' comments

Servais was driving home and listening to the postgame show on 710 ESPN Seattle when he first heard Kelenic’s comments, which came after a question about how he doesn’t give away at-bats.

“I actually smiled when I heard it, for whatever that’s worth, Servais said. “It's nice to have people say it. You'll say those things in the clubhouse and when you're around your teammates and in the dugout, things like that. But it’s OK to have a guy once in a while that'll say it publicly. So, I think it's great. We do want to bury our opponent every night. I don't know what team out there that doesn’t.

“The energy he brings, the excitement certainly backed up by the talent, we're starting to see it play out on the field here at the Major League level. It's exciting. It's fun to watch now and it's going to be fun to watch in the future.”

On Kelenic’s advanced approach at the plate

Kelenic's homer came in a hitter’s count against Aaron Civale, who entered the day with a 2.91 ERA, 5-0 record and opponents' slugging of just .231 and zero homers against his splitter.

“He's very in tune,” Servais said of Kelenic. “He watches the game very intently. You learn a lot when watching players in the dugout. Some guys, in today's game, they're on the iPads. They're looking at their last at-bat. You can't go into video rooms anymore, but you certainly get all the information there in the dugout. Jarred is not really that way. He's watching the pitcher. He's watching his other teammates. He's talking to hitting coaches. He's constantly asking questions. He’s very inquisitive. That's just how he is, by nature.

“It is one of those things that does rub off, and he just creates different discussions in the dugout by the questions he asks, because he just wants to learn and get better as quick as he can.”

On Kelenic’s aggressive baserunning

Kelenic dialed his sprint speed up to 28.9 feet per second on a pair of doubles that each challenged the outfielder’s throw. For context, 27.0 is league average and 30.0 is elite.

“When both balls were hit, I'm thinking that's a double easy for him,” Servais said. “He's going to go. He’s not going to stop. There's no way, and I don't want him to stop. I don't want him to stop until he starts getting thrown out a lot. And that's not going to happen very often. So, he’ll keep pushing the envelope.

“It creates a certain buzz or energy. I guess it pumped into the dugout a little bit, like, ‘Let's go. Somebody get a hit and pick him up,’ and that’s another run.”

On Kelenic’s goal to steal 30 bases

Kelenic has yet to steal a base -- but that’s coming. He said in Spring Training that he wants to swipe 30 this season. Servais noted that because Kelenic is hitting leadoff, with extra-base-hit potential directly behind him, he considers Kelenic to be in scoring position when he’s on first base.

“There will be opportunities for him to run,” Servais said. ‘I don't think he needs to go crazy with it because of where he's at in the lineup, and the guys behind him can drive the ball, so he's going to get plenty of chances, like I said, but we’ll pick our spots.

“And I talked to him when he first came in, [saying] I will help him in that regard. When he should run and the signs -- if they come from me, oftentimes, if we do have a steal on -- I'm guessing pitches. I'm guessing breaking balls. It’s easier to run on a breaking ball. And I'm guessing that off of counts and how they're going to pitch that particular hitter, and experience and feel and things like that, which is part of managing.”

On former big leaguer comparisons

Servais had an extensive background in player development before he became the Mariners’ manager, and he loves to make player comparisons. The two that stood out when he first saw Kelenic three years ago were Trot Nixon and Brian Giles, both of whom were standouts during Servais’ playing era.

“It could be that type of just a strong, left-handed bat,” Servais said. “A guy that could throw, runs OK, just from a body comp, a left-handed swinger. I still don't have it quite nailed yet. And those are really good players I talked about. I think Jarred's skillset may be a little bit different, in the fact that he’s probably a better runner, and he's got a really good arm to go along with what he does offensively. We’ll just have to wait and see. I don't quite have it nailed yet.”