Stop me if you’re heard this before, but it’s been said that the Mariners have a bright future ahead of them.

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On Wednesday afternoon, M’s fans saw their first glimpse of something they hope to see a lot of during that future – Julio Rodríguez and Jarred Kelenic hitting back-to-back home runs.

Rodríguez, the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year, got the Mariners on the board in the fifth inning of their road Cactus League game against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz., muscling a breaking ball over the fence in left field.

Not to be outdone, Kelenic followed in the very next Mariners plate appearance by driving one over the same fence.

A couple things of note: yes, that is former Mariners pitcher Roenis Elías on the mound for the Cubs giving up both homers. And yes, that is a very good sign that Kelenic not only homered off a southpaw but did so to the opposite field.

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If this is a sign of things to come, it would be a very big development for Seattle. While Rodríguez received most of the attention during his breakout season last year, Kelenic has yet to find success in the big leagues. He has been turning heads early on in spring training, however, as his homer was his third in four Cactus League games, which leads the team. Rodríguez’s dinger was his first of the spring, though he has as many hits (four) as Kelenic in as many games played.

🚨 @JRODshow44 AND @jarredkelenic BACK-TO-BACK DINGERS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/JR2rqTbhaK

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 1, 2023

Rodríguez may not have too many more highlights in Mariners camp as he’s set to join Team Dominican Republic for the World Baseball Classic early next week. For details on when to catch radio broadcasts of Kelenic and the rest of the Mariners throughout the spring from Seattle Sports, click the link below.

2023 Mariners spring training radio schedule on Seattle Sports

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