2007: Ackley's team reaches the post season.
2008: Ackley's team reaches post season.
2009: Ackley's team reaches national championship.
2010: Ackley's team wins PCL.
2010: Ackley destroys Arizona Fall League.
2011: Ackley leads your Peoria Mariners in on base percentage. The Mariners were near the top of the Cactus League until Ackley left.
2011: ? the Ackley-less Mariners are decidedly not reaching the post season (at this point) notwithstanding them having the best starting rotation in the American League.
Ackley's bat is not that much of a difference maker. He will not slug .900. But, his winning ways are real, and desperately needed. The elderly Mariners veterans may become incensed at being upstaged by a whippersnapper, and suddenly ignite, as they have in the past. Ichiro, Figgins have it in them, but they do need encouragement. Bradley would not tolerate being out hit by a 24 year old. Further, Pineda needs some competition for his Rookie of the Year quest.
Adam Kennedy can split time with Jack Cust.
Jack Wilson should split time with Brendan Ryan, or should be traded for a good relief pitcher.
Further, why is attendance so low? If the Mariners are to have a youth movement, get it underway!
Everyone is wondering when Ackley will be movin' on up to the West Side.
I have a growing sense that the moment may be nearing. Why? It's not because of his .250 average of .364 OBP or .375 slugging (.739 OPS) at Tacoma at the moment. Nor is it because of his 10:10 K/BB. It's not even because he is 4 of 5 in SBs already, (the most overlooked portion of Ackley's resume is that yes, Virginia, he does have speed).
It is because at the moment he has 1 double and 2 HRs. THAT is the magic ratio for minor league guys capable of making a transition to the majors AND bringing their power strokes with them. The typical power split is 2 doubles to every HR. But, the actual sluggers, often tend to flip that ratio and start hitting 2 HRs for every double once they've simmered long enough in the minors.
Mind you, 67 PAs and 1 double and 2 HR is way, way, waaaaaay too small a sample to leap to any conclusions. But, THAT is the statistical harbinger that Ackley has actually conquered AAA pitching. His 2010 ratio was 33 doubles and 7 HRs, (and it was a dreadful 21:2 in AA). But, I was saying before he took his first swing that you could expect Ackley to go through developmental phases - the eye would be there immediately - then the hits - then the power.
If in a couple of weeks he is sitting on 4 doubles and 5+ HRs, then he's ready and somebody will be moving.
(p.s. - I tried to include an image of Ackley, but couldn't get it to work)
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Comments
I agree. Ackley should be called up as soon as possible since only by that way we should know if he's a major leaguer. Stanton, Heyward, Posey, Castro and many others from his generation are already playing in the bigs and I do not see any reason to keep the best college bat of the decade still in the minors. Pineda did it as well as Stanton, Heyward, Posey and Castro. It's time for Ackley too to show the skills of a 2nd overall pick.
He'll be in the bigs soon.
Mike Stanton had 1400 plate appearances in the minors (starting as a teen, granted), Starlin Castro had 1100, Buster Posey had 750.
Ackley's had 650.
He was pulling the ball too much to start the year, he said, and just started using the whole field. Dustin's a guy who noodles with his swing to start the year and then gets in a groove, it seems. Let him get in that groove and then they'll bring him up.
Bringing him up when his plate approach will hamper him is not going to help him, or us.
We're just passing the service time requirement now. The next deadline is late May/early June for Super-2 status and lessening the money he could win in arbitration. The easy solution there is to buy him out of arbitration...or just pay him.
I don't think we're gonna have that Super-2 deadline as a crucial one. Whenever we feel he's ready, he's gonna be here. Give him a couple of hot weeks at the plate and he'll be slipping on a teal jersey.
If he keeps going 1-for-5, then he might not get that callup til June after all, but either way he'll be here soon.
~G
Ackley will be here precisely when his arb-clock strikes 7. As in...we get to use him for 7 years before he goes FA and 4 years before he starts getting expensive. That clock will strike in approximately three or four weeks. :)
Ackley has about 15 games remaining as a non-mlb'er.
Jack Wilson, I would imagine, will be a former Mariner, at that point.
But were a Chone Figgins dumping...er, trading...worked out, no on would be more pleased than I. Any warm body, or semi-warm, or even tepid body in return would do.
Kennedy and Rodriguez can handle that position just fine.
We should have a Tacoma Mangini sighting, too...shoudn't we?
Not until he has a couple of good months to ratchet up his trade value. Z can't afford to admit an error that will cost the Mariners 25 more million before the contract ends...he's got to sell the trade as something to make the line-up or the bullpen or the minor league depth better.
What's happening to Ackley ? Given that Tacoma lineup is performing awfully on a whole and that AZL pitching is not like AAA I'm surprised about Ackley pedestrian performances (.236/.345/.333 and 4/21 in the last five games with no extrabase hits and BB/K 2:7). Obviously I'm not able to watch him but what I'm reading from play-by-play and how his AB's have been developing does not seem promising at all. Perhaps he's just conditioned by his terrible teammates right now, I can't think anything different.
I've seen good prospects hit AAA for a second year and then go "OK...nothing new to learn...bored now" and hit .210. Maybe that's what's happening with Ackley?
Ackley hit about .330 in the 7 games before his 5-game slump. Every player is going to have their ups and downs. Ackley will be up no earlier than June 1st regardless of how he hits at AAA, no point in worrying about this week by week until then.
With 5 walks and 6 Ks. The hit's a single. He still can't hit them AT ALL so he's working on his eye against em (He faced a couple of em in the last 5 days as well - so that didn't help his numbers). Just keep in mind that he's going to be useless against southpaws and pull him in late-reliever situations for someone else and everything'll be okay. He'll hit them eventually.
Other than that...just let him warm up. As Justin said, they're not blowing his eligibility when he's not tearing the cover off the ball, so we'll see him in June.
By then he should be the .300/.400/.450 batter he's currently capable of. As long as he can feast a bit more on righties, anyway.
~G
2 hits (both doubles, including the game-winner in the 12th), 2 walks, and his OBP is back up to .367
0-for-5 last night facing RH pitchers, with a couple of flyouts and three groundouts