"UNC Mariners" blue, that is.  Ackley in 2010?  If he hits .400 in March, it's okay by me.

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Q.  Say what?

A.  One of the M's coaches got to camp, walked out, and watched a slick young 2B dazzling people on the infield... and a few minutes later, realized that this glove-first middle infielder was Dustin Ackley.

Early word is that Ackley is already looking like a quality second baseman.

..............

Another beat writer, asked who could surprise-impact the 25-man this year, named Ackley.  ...if he really is a "special, special, special" talent (quote unquote), well, John Olerud didn't get any minor league AB's. 

What would ordinarily be a sensible guideline for anybody else -- let's say, don't pitch in the bigs at 19 or 20 -- might not be important to the Thoroughbreds.

I'm a big, big aficionado of T-A-L-E-N-T.  LeBron James got $80M before he ever played college or pro's.  At a certain point, it just comes down to me against you.  Experience goes out the window.  Some guys are just better, like Felix was just better.  Felix would have been fine in the majors even a while before he actually got there.

.............

Griffey was a quality big-league hitter at the age of 19, never mind 22.  It's not like you're in a Tim Burton movie if you're seeing a 22-year-old play in the majors.

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Q.  And what about the Lopez-Figgins thing?

A.  Obviously it's no problem to flip Chone Figgins back to 3B on one day's notice -- on March 15, May 15, or any date in the future.

If you found aa taker for JLo, you could (in theory) move Figgins to 3B the next day, and slot Ackley into 2B.

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Q.  What if Ackley had a bad year?

A.  What if a rookie struggled in his first year?  Boy, that's unthinkable...

Dustin Pedroia debut'ed in the majors at the same age Ackley will be, age 22.  (Hey, Ackley turned 22 on Friday, Feb. 26.  How 'bout dat.)

Of course, Pedroia came out of college at a young 20, and got 1,000 AB's in the minors by the age of 22, when the Red Sox brought him up. 

But I still remember thinking, wow, that's pretty aggressive for a middle infielder who makes his living by out-thinking pitchers and drawing walks.  Bring a kid like that up into a championship team, with the Boston press, and you pass on intriguing FA options to do so?

Indeed, in Pedroia's 31-game September he struggled mightily, hitting .191 with no power and not many BB's.  Then in 2007 he hit .182 in April, putting him at .180-something his first 200 big-league AB's.

Guess what?  The Sox didn't care.  They knew he was going to be fine. 

May 2007, Pedroia put up a .415 AVG, and never looked back...

..................

If Ackley hit .400 with a ton of walks in March, and you threw him in there, he might hit .190 for half a year.  So what?   It's an investment.

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Q.  Is there any compelling reason not to use Ackley, if he pulls a John Olerud in March?

A.  The huge reason not to promote Ackley is Scott Boras.  If Dustin Ackley hits .320/.420/.475 as a lefty 2B, Boras will publish a hardcover glossy comparing him to Rogers Hornsby, and demand $150 million.

I'm assuming that the Mariners have Ackley for precisely six years of service time, so you might as well maneuver to assure yourself of his services in the 2016 season...

The timing on that might be just right, if the Pads are about ready to deal Gonzalez in June.  :- )   Like we say, they've got David Eckstein at 2B now, and Kouzmanoff at 3B is a prime trade target as well...

A month or two in AAA, make the big trade, and get Ackley in there?

It could happen,

Dr D