Splitting time is fine for Duvall and Kelenic
When the Atlanta Braves acquired Jarred Kelenic from the Seattle Mariners last December, the move seemed to signal a new era in left field.
Though Kelenic’s hold on the starting job may have appeared tenuous after the Braves re-signed veteran outfielder Adam Duvall midway through spring training, it turns out that move may end up being just what both men needed.
For some players, “platoon” is a dirty word, but for Kelenic and Duvall, this budding partnership could benefit both players and the team in the process.
The 24-year-old Kelenic needed a fresh start after several years of prospect hype failed to translate to big-league success. For the 35-year-old Duvall, returning to Atlanta was a chance to contribute to a contender in familiar surroundings.
Rather than getting caught up with how the playing time may be divided between the two, the youthful Kelenic is displaying a veteran perspective.
“I’m just trying to take it day by day,” he said. “Playing with Duvall and doing the platoon thing allows me to kind of separate my at-bats a little bit more, which has been really beneficial for me because I have a little bit more extra time to think about them and make adjustments, so I’m looking at it as a positive thing.”
Kelenic is off to a solid start with his new club, batting a career-best .286 in
28 games, following a series of adjustments to his swing upon arriving at spring training. Duvall, who has three 30-homer campaigns under his belt and was the National League RBI leader three years ago, is batting .216 in 20 games played with a pair of home runs.
Like much of Atlanta’s lineup, the duo has yet to truly take off at the plate in 2024, but there is a lot of baseball left to be played. That will allow them time to develop this new partnership.
“Talking with Duvall, he’s been so helpful for me,” Kelenic said. “He’s been around the game quite a bit, and he’s helped me. I’m extremely thankful to have him and to learn from him.”
Atlanta has a mix of veterans and youth, exemplified nicely by Kelenic and Duvall splitting time in left field. While the numbers will always tell a large portion of the story, adding the right personalities to the clubhouse is something the Braves feel they value as much as talent.
Over the course of the young season, the two outfielders have gotten to know one another. Sharing conversations has helped them get more comfortable sharing time in left field.
“We sit together on the flights, and we just got off a long one from the West Coast, so we were able
to just talk about whatever it is,” Duvall said. “We talked about some stuff on the field, some stuff off the field, and just getting to know each other. I think that’s important as the season goes. That way, we can help each other out. If we don’t really know each other, then it’s hard to know what makes each other tick.”
This is Duvall’s third stint with the Braves. Originally traded to Atlanta by the Cincinnati Reds in 2018, he left for half a season with the Miami Marlins in 2021 before being dealt back in time to participate in the World Series run. Now, he is back after a year with the Boston Red Sox.
Meanwhile, Kelenic has been traded twice, first from the New York Mets to the Mariners on Dec. 3, 2018, then from Seattle to Atlanta five years to the day later.
Kelenic has carried the weight of significant expectations, which comes with being a highly touted prospect throughout his young career. A new team, a fresh start and some adjustments at the plate could help him finally turn all that talent into results.
“As crazy as it sounds, I feel the same,” Kelenic said. “Right now, I’m definitely seeing the ball well. Made some minor adjustments along the way, but the thing is, the game is going to adjust to you, so I just have to constantly ride this out and, eventually, the game is going to punch me back in the teeth, and I’ve just got to be ready to make that adjustment.”
Those adjustments included
Kelenic changing his hand placement and altering the leg kick he employs as a timing mechanism for his swing. The point of making those changes is to create a new way of doing things that becomes as familiar and comfortable as the old way.
“I’m really trying not to think too much,” Kelenic said. “If I’m thinking about my hands, it’s kind of distracting me from what I’m trying to do. My job is to try to get on base, try to hit a ball hard. I try to remind myself before I go to the plate that that’s my job. That’s why I can’t be thinking about my hands, my rhythm, what I look like, what people are thinking about what I look like.”
Putting all of that into context and, as it happens, to the side has helped Kelenic focus on what he refers to as the task at hand.
“I’m really trying to just focus on doing my job, not making it any more than that and nothing any less than that,” Kelenic said. “That’s really helped me, honestly, because during spring training, I felt like I was thinking about those things. I was thinking about my hands. I was thinking about where I was trying to hit the baseball, and I just think it kind of distracts you from what your actual job is.”
The Braves are in the midst of an unexpected offensive downturn which caused them to drop from first place in the National League East for the first time since April of last season.
Playing for five big league clubs
during an 11-year career has given Duvall a true appreciation of how the Braves approach virtually everything when it comes to consistency and approach in both good times and bad.
That kind of thing can benefit players of all ages and service times, whether it is a veteran like Duvall or a young up-andcomer like Kelenic.
“I think the biggest thing that you see with a more veteran team, a team that has won a lot, is that there’s no panic,” Duvall said. “At the end of the day, we know what we’re capable of and we know how good we can be. There’s going to be some parts of the season where you’re just like, ‘Man, we stunk today,’ but, you know what? You’ve got to have a short memory and turn around the next day and you could have a really good day. Over the long haul, there’s nothing to be panicky about.”
Telling a person not to panic is one thing, but getting people to subscribe to that line of thinking is another story.
However, it is a foundational principle for the Braves, who place high importance on how they do things as much as they do the final results.
“I think a lot of it comes with the culture,” Duvall said. “A lot of it comes with the expectation that we’re going to go out there and win. The other part is to have the talent to go out and do it, so you know we have that and we have that mindset. It’s a good thing to have.”