Mariners OF Jarred Kelenic's breakout has idol Bryce Harper's attention

PHILADELPHIA — For three days, Jarred Kelenic shared a stadium with his childhood hero. For three days, Kelenic failed to muster up the nerve to say hello.

During last week's Mariners-Phillies series in Philadelphia, Kelenic watched from afar as Bryce Harper and his rapidly-improving surgically-repaired elbow took live batting practice hours before first pitch. And while the Phillies’ superstar, a baseball fanatic, is quite familiar with Kelenic and the intricacies of his game, the breakout Mariners outfielder didn’t get the chance to introduce himself.

"He looked busy," Kelenic, whose .615 slugging percentage ranks fourth in the American League, told FOX Sports. "I didn’t wanna bother him."

Like many baseball people of a certain age, the 23-year-old Kelenic grew up idolizing the now 30-year-old Harper. The Sports Illustrated cover, the full-face eye black smudge, the YouTube videos of his junior college exploits as a teenager, all of it captured the imagination of a generation of young fans. Kelenic was no different.

"My first memory of him was that video of his 500-foot homer at Tropicana," Kelenic said. "From then on I followed him every step of the way as a high schooler, junior college, the whole thing. I actually left a middle school dance of mine early to come home and watch his first MLB at-bat at Dodger Stadium."

Good thing he did, because he saw a show. 

Eleven years ago, almost to the day, a 19-year-old Harper with a faux-hawk atop his head and a Phiten necklace around his neck, sauntered to the plate in Los Angeles beneath a downpour of boos — a player so notorious that he was despised by many before he even made his big-league debut. The rest was history: a weak tapper back to the pitcher in at-bat No. 1 that Harper turned into a close play by busting it full-gas down the line. And then, a few frames later, his first career knock, a laser-beam double that short-hopped the center-field wall. 

But while hundreds of thousands of baseball-hungry youngsters were glued to the TV that night to take in the magic, the Bryce Harper experience meant something a little different to a sixth-grade Kelenic, a burgeoning baseball talent in his own right.

"His path was not like everybody else's," Kelenic said. "For me that was, like, so intriguing. He was the first person where I realized you could actually get drafted out of high school. I was super young and I remember right when I heard that was a possibility I was like, I gotta go do that."

That’s exactly what Kelenic did, eight years after Harper, sixth overall to the Mets who traded him to Seattle a few months later in the Edwin Díaz deal. And while Kelenic’s path to pro ball wasn’t quite as abnormal as Harper’s (Bryce finished high school as a 16-year-old sophomore in order to get drafted as a 17-year-old out of junior college), the Wisconsin-raised Mariner certainly didn’t have a typical baseball upbringing.

Kelenic’s dad, Tom, owns a baseball facility in the suburbs of Milwaukee, a factor that undeniably influenced the family’s decision to hold Jarred out of high school baseball, to instead focus on the showcase circuit, travel-ball, Team USA and eventually, the draft. 

From a very young age, the younger Kelenic was molded and pushed to become an elite baseball player. This has always been his path, his current success at the big-league level an inevitable conclusion.

Sound familiar?

There are very few people on Earth who can relate to Kelenic’s experiences. Harper is undoubtedly one of them. What’s more, the Phillies slugger is paying attention to Kelenic’s hot start, which included a 424-foot home run into the road bullpen at Citizens Bank Park last Tuesday.

"That ball he hit last night was impressive, especially off a lefty," Harper told reporters. "He’s a really good player. I love his swing.

"I actually loved the swing he used to have, with the [timing load]," Harper continued, mimicking one of Kelenic’s many bygone swings. "But clearly his current one is working for him."

Indeed it is. After two abysmal, abbreviated seasons with Seattle in which an overmatched Kelenic hit a combined .168/.251/.338 in 558 plate appearances, the blond-haired outfielder looks like a whole new player. Through 26 games, Kelenic is rocking an OPS near 1.000 and on a 7.5 WAR pace over 162 games. The batted ball and swing decision numbers back it all up. Maybe Kelenic isn’t MVP-candidate good, but he’s almost definitely a great big leaguer, something that was far from certain just a few months ago.

And while May has just begun, Kelenic is looking like a likely selection for this year’s All-Star Game, which, conveniently enough, will take place at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. 

That also looks like the next-best opportunity for Kelenic to introduce himself to Harper, who is expected to return to action this week and is always a favorite to perform well in fan voting.

Otherwise, a first hello will have to wait. The Phillies and Mariners do not face off again until next season. Neither player is getting traded anytime soon. A World Series showdown is unforeseeable. Until then, Kelenic will just have to keep watching Harper highlights online.

"What he did in October last year? That was incredible," Kelenic gushed. "That’s what you dream about. Backside homer, stadium packed, in the playoffs doing that s---? Dude. I’m telling you, there’s nobody like him."

Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He played college baseball, poorly at first, then very well, very briefly. Jake lives in New York City where he coaches Little League and rides his bike, sometimes at the same time. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.