The Book on Dustin Ackley
Prospect Info
Dustin Ackley
Born 2/26/1988
OF, SEA
A scout's wet dream, Dustin Ackley was one of the best college hitters of the 2009 class, if not the absolute best available bat. After destroying ACC pitching as a freshman, he was taken second overall by the Seattle Mariners. While his speed and toolset might bump him up to the outfield, he's also competent at third as well as first base, a position he played in college while recovering from surgery for a full season, and the Mariners have recently experimented with playing him at second base in order to balance out their outfield-heavy farm. His defense won't make much difference, though, as it's his combination of plus contact and patience that's worth drooling about. He could replace Ichiro as Seattle's on-base machine in a few years.
Player Updates and Notes
First base? Third base? Center field? Well, how about second base? The Mariners have apparently asked top prospect Dustin Ackley to start learning to play second base, as he fits into their long-term plans best in that way. Great news for Franklin Gutierrez fans, but not so great for Jose Lopez and family. Ackley is expected to take a full season to learn the new position, so unless the experiment flames out early, he won't sniff MLB in 2010 after all.
11/21/2009 by KDaddy
