Where the * denotes what SHOULD have happened if life were fair. :)
Ackley struck out looking on a pitch that was 6 inches outside, cranked a tiple* to RCF that Wise made a miraculous catch on, cracked another triple to straight away center that was more of a high line drive than the mortar shot he hit for his first triple*, then ripped a double* down the first base line (that the ump ran INTO...rather than away from like a normal person), and then pounded a double down the LF line. He isn't a slap hitter...it just LOOKS like he is. On his triple, for example, if you just saw the swing and ignored the ball, you would probably think "well that'll be a humpback liner or a ground ball somewhere)...looked like he got fooled on a change-up and just flipped the bat at it to try to spoil it...and it went off the CF wall (LOL). He's got line to line spray power (line drives to all fields) and HR power when he pulls it.
Q. Nice day for Ackley on Sunday.
A. 3-for-5, yeah ... and none of his base hits were crushed like that fly ball out to Stanton was.
In his first 10 days in major league baseball, he's hitting .300/.364/.567 (with 3 BB vs 3 strikeouts) and that is despite a handful of unlucky outs.
Everybody seen enough? This guy's a 3 hitter, not a 2 hitter. He ain't spraying the ball around on the ground giving you a hit-and-run game: he's leaning out to RF on the pitch, trying to break the ball in half.
That 2 hitter stuff is label, label, label. The guy's not huge, he plays second base, he must be a 2, eh? Tell Nomah. Tell Joe Morgan. Dustin Ackley is a 3 hitter for sure.
Tell you who is cool in the 2 hole: Adam Kennedy's an extreme pull hitter, and if the 1B has to hold a runner on, watch out...
If Ackley isn't a 3 hitter, he is a cleanup hitter. Not a 2. Were you going to put Edgar second?
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Q. What do you make of his amazing SwStr%?
A. This guy makes contact with Oswalt curves and Sanchez two-seamers, like Dirk Nowitzki makes contact with the net from the foul line...
Ackley's most beautiful gift is his coverage of the strike zone back to front. He never misses because he is never in between.
It's not that other hitters can't get the horizontal hand-to-eye coordination right. Batters fan on offspeed pitches. It's timing, not horizontal location. Pitchers can't make Ackley miss because they can't get him out in front.
***
94 mph? and ... you ever see a frog grab a fly? You couldn't throw a fastball by this kid if you were Nolan Ryan.
You pull the string with a great changeup? He simply reads it, keeps the hands back until the ball's there, and that's when you're most liable to give up a mortar shot...
A scout told me once, when Edgar was about 30-32, that he had never seen Edgar out in front of a breaking ball. Dustin Ackley has that gift.
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Q. Why is he never in-between? Is it pitch recog?
A. Not fundamentally. You want to know the secret?
Dustin Ackley doesn't turn his torso to load the bat. He only has to move his arms and hands when he swats a pitch. That's the secret to his quickness.
We'll do six POTD's on it sometime, but for now, here it is, here you go. Check Ichiro's jersey numbers on his bat windup, compared to Ackley's jersey numbers.
Somehow Ackley is super loose, like Aaron and Mays, and can wind the golf club back without turning his torso.
Hey, did any of you guys ever box? How much faster is it to block with your hand, rather than to move your abdomen out of the way? How much faster? Orders of magnitude faster.
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Q. The Ackley pic 1 below, and the Ichiro pic 2, what are the markers ...
A. First of all, recognize that in all these pictures, we are capturing the maximum backswing, the point at which the bat tip is pointed most directly at the pitcher. (The ball is at the same point in all photos; swing timing is the same for everybody.)
Ichiro's swing is completely normal for him. If you check this 2009 walkoff homer, you'll see his mechanics are exactly the same. We're talking about a first-ballot HOF'er here.
Still:
If you think of Ackley and Ichiro as golfers, you'll quickly ID Ichiro's swing as a 220-yarder --- > but Ackley's as a 300-yarder.
But more to the point, Ackley is doing it with much less involvement of his chest, butt, and stomach.
In addition: in aikido, sensei's often give rank based on relaxation, and the #1 indicator is a relaxed mouth. The difference in relaxation is vast, and yet Ackley is getting infinitely more leverage in the backswing.
*
Q. And the Ryan, Gutierrez pics?
A. There, you see mortal major league hitters. Compare the angle of their bats to Ackley's -- and note that they have to involve their torso's more, in order the wind the bat far less!
Again, it simply takes much more time to --- > move your torso in reaction to a snake-strike, than it does to move your hand in reaction to it. This is the secret.
***
A pro golfer will tell you, "learn to turn, and stop swaying." In golf, the ball isn't going anywhere. The more you turn your back to the green, the farther you can wind up the club.
Ackley gets a huge Tiger Woods windup without turning. Amazing.
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Q. How is it possible for him to do that?
A. In aikido, you apply wrist and elbow pins ---> up to a certain point of uncomfortable tension for your partner. Do this 10,000 times, and you get so you can look at somebody and guess how loose his elbow ligaments are.
Some people are almost double-jointed. You wouldn't believe how far you can twist some people's arms. Their ligaments simply stretch a lot more.
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Q. Smoak's picture?
A. Justin Smoak also has gifted leverage -- he has a ton of bat wrap and not much "turn."
Still, a PGA pro can look at the same backswing, two players .... and he'll tell you that one man is using leverage, and another is using muscle.
Justin Smoak is great, but he does use plenty of muscle on his swing. Check his followthrough, the jarring sensation of his body.
Dustin Ackley is using leverage, period. Enjoy the smooth deceleration as he unsnaps the bat and finishes without a jarring effect.
***
Tell you one thing that was interesting. He used a big wrist hinge, but a compact followthrough, on the triple to center. Had to do with his last-second adjustment to make sure he covered the pitch.
Maybe some golfer could tell us when he uses a giant backswing, but a punch-shot followthrough?
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Q. All meaning what?
A. Because he can wind up the bat without turning his body, he can --- > be quick and powerful, so he can --- > hit for distance while --- > staying quick on FB's and staying back on offspeed.
Ackley's physical gifts are freakish in comparison to other ML hitting stars.
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BABVA,
Dr D
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Comments
Unrelated to this thread...but I'd just like to say that Mr. Kimbrel may be the best relief pitcher I've ever seen. Holy CROW that man is ridiculous.
Yes Sir, that's absolutely true. Whoever signed him from that anonymous college should be granted with a big bonus. Unhittable 88 mph slider and dazzling fastball. Watching some of his previous saves I noticed after the final strikeout he turns immediately to his dugout, just like a 22-years old inquiring for manager approval. Amazing.
Well.. what more to say. He's here and looks great. How about Ackley's power stroke, a slightly elevated line drive to right center? It's the best power alley in Safeco and he doesn't seem to flirt with the foul pole much either. Looking like a perfect fit to me. Ya think?
Home Vs. Away team splits for home runs are at a 32:21 advantage. I guess some of the left handed bats have paid off this year.
15 homers at home for Ackley probably makes him a 25 steals, 25 doubles, and 25 homers guy. As early as next year too.
At Lookout Landing.
Money quote:
Were the season to end today, that would be the fifth-highest OPS+ for a rookie in baseball history, with a minimum of 150 plate appearances. It would rank below Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas, but ahead of Ted Williams and Albert Pujols.
Money chart here, showing that Ackley has chased essentially zero outside pitches. The comparison to Peguero's chart is easy pickin's, but entertaining nonetheless.
I especially liked the observation that Ackley seems to have landed in the AL with a fully-formed game.
***
The Texasleaguers.com charts confirm that Ackley has a taste for leaning up the line to punish the inside pitch, a la Ichiro.
There are a number of similarities between those two players, although Ackley's ambitions are higher within an AB. Ichiro's bat wrap is much shorter and he is much more willing to take an early pitch for a single.
Ackley, of course, wraps the bat with bad intentions and then peers studiously at the pitch sequence, seeking the one on which he can do the most damage.
***
But, physically, the similarities are striking. Ackley is kind of like Ichiro, had Ichiro chosen to be a Three True Outcomes .500 SLG player. (Possibly Ichiro was just a little too small to do that.)
Would like to see Ichiro start his career again, play SS next to Ackley, and also bat .300/.370/.500. Just for the visual experience.