When the Mariners asked Jarred Kelenic to hop on a flight from Milwaukee for a workout 72 hours ahead of baseball’s amateur draft in June 2018, they weren’t sure if he’d fall to them when they picked at No. 14 overall. Even as the club honed in on eventual top pick Logan Gilbert, a right-handed strikeout artist from Stetson University, the Mariners wanted to take a look at the 18-year-old high-school outfielder whose stock was rising fast.



When Kelenic flew home less than a day after arriving in Seattle, they were certain: There was no way in hell they were getting him.



Kelenic met with the team for just a few hours, but what general manager Jerry Dipoto, manager Scott Servais and 20 or so scouts in town for the draft saw that day created a buzz throughout the organization — and still resonates with those who witnessed it. Ask anyone about the legendary round of batting practice when he peppered the windows of the Hit It Here Café and...