Kelenic goes sixth overall in baseball draft
The Mets make Jarred Kelenic of Waukesha West the highest draft pick ever from the state.
Jarred Kelenic made Wisconsin baseball draft history Monday evening when he was taken at No. 6 in the first round by the New York Mets.
Kelenic, of Waukesha West High School, became the highest draft pick ever from the state and by a significant margin. The previous top pick was Nekoosa High School’s Kevin Brandt, taken at No. 11 in 1979 by the Minnesota Twins.
Kelenic, 18, projected as a Top 10 pick by many draft sites, was the first high school player taken. A left-handed-hitting centerfielder, he was considered the top bat among prep players and one of the better athletes. He graduated in December so he could focus on being prepared for the draft, a move that obviously paid off.
In a recent interview with the Journal Sentinel, Kelenic was asked about the possibility of being the highest draft pick ever from Wisconsin.
“I simply just say that ever since I was really young, I’ve had the highest expectations possible,” he said. “When people tell me, ‘You have a chance to be No. 1, a first-round pick, top 10, I expect that of myself. That’s who I am.”
Though Kelenic did not play for his high school team, he made a name playing in international tournaments and in prep showcases across the country. He also has played for the Rawlings Hitters travel team out of Caledonia each spring.
His parents helped his development by purchasing 70 acres of farmland in Waukesha and building a baseball complex known as Infinity Fields/5 Diamonds.
The family also owns buildings in Waukesha where the Stiks Academy batting cages are located as well as NX Level, a sports training facility where NFL start J.J. Watt works out.
Kelenic has been a member of two Team USA teams that won gold medals in international play. In the 2016 Pan American Games in Mexico, his U18 team won the title and Kelenic was named MVP.