=== EYE and Pitch Recognition: 80 ===
Sabermetrically: Ackley was leading the PCL in walks by a wide margin. He had like 131 walks in 30 games, or thereabouts.
So nobody doubts the BB's. Goody gumdrops. Here's one part of his game that we don't have to argue about.
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Still, from a scouting standpoint, here's the entry ....
::ahem:: It is pure baseball bliss to watch Ackley, ball nowhere near its destination, completely relax off a pitch that, much later, winds up 4 inches outside. I'd watch a baseball game just to watch Dustin Ackley do that during a pitch.
Edgar used to do this. Olerud did too, though not to the extent that Edgar and Ackley do.
Joe Morgan was probably the best I saw at this, relaxing off a pitch when it was still halfway to home plate. I trust that you've enjoyed this visible pitch-recog skill during the opening series?
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Ackley doesn't have to guess with the pitcher. He simply reads the pitch coming in.
What in the world is going to happen, when he starts sensing the pitches ahead of time? Edgar had the good EYE, right out of the gate. But the day came, when Edgar knew what they were going to throw, and when that day came, he led the AL in runs created by 20...
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=== 65 SPD ===
Ackley's triple Sunday was rocked on one hop off the wall. The RF gathered it in fairly quickly and got it back in.
I had the distinct impression that Ichiro would have pulled up at second base. Didn't you? ... Ackley turned on the afterburners and slid in farrrr ahead of the throw.
Early in Ichiro's career, he hit a two-hopper right at Derek Jeter, who fired to first... to get Ichiro by half a step. The TV cut to a wide-eyed Jeter mouthing the word, "Wow."
After that single play, you'd have said, "that batter is going to have a lot of infield singles."
And after Dustin Ackley's triple on Sunday, you'd say, "that batter is going to hit a lot of triples in Safeco."
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Ackley does NOT appear to be able to read pitchers well enough to steal a bunch of bases. Or maybe his first step is suspect (and therefore he won't have a bunch of infield hits). I don't know. It was just one weekend series ... :- )
But as far as scoring runs, once he is on base? Going 1B-to-3B on a single, or scoring from 2B on a single, or from 1B on a double? He'll be among the league leaders.
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=== 55 Defense ===
And that's being conservative.
Opening series, Ackley ranged farrrrr to his left, far to his right, turned the DP nimbly and with a strong arm. ... and, as was pointed out to me in the comments, turned the DP with very light feet.
Ackley was labeled, from day one, as suspect at second. The reality on the field is rather different.
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Bill James pointed out that bad-character guys fail to work on their defense (Albert Belle types don't sweat D, because D doesn't show up in the stats). Ackley hasn't seen the ground balls that some guys have, but he plans to out-work they hind ends. He plans to compensate with technique, hustle, and naturally soft hands.
Bottom line? I like Ackley on my infield. If he weren't a hitter, I'd like having him at second.
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=== Franchise Player ===
Ackley will probably be the Mariners' best player in the second half of 2011. It sounds odd to say, considering that Ichiro is a first-ballot HOF'er.
But considering the 18 swings he took against Oswalt, Hamels, and the Phillies, the things you saw him do, how do you project a slow start?
The M's offense shut down when their .400-OBP, 25-homer engine threw a piston rod. On June 17, against the Phillies, they seem to have reclaimed The Edgar -- lefty and fast, this time.
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So relax, LrKrBoi29. :- ) You don't have to feel like you're selling out, to go nuts over Ackley.
Look at it this way: Dustin Ackley was the college hitter of the decade, and Stephen Strasburg was in that draft, and the Mariners happened to be picking #2. There's no miracle about it. They had a Kevin Durant pick and they grabbed Durant. :shrug:
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Here's the question. Which MLB player, contract included, do you trade Dustin Ackley for right now?
Guys like Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez do not have as many club-controls years in front of them. You trade Ackley for them? Jason Heyward looks maybe a bit less predictable than Ackley to me. You swap Ackley for Heyward, if the Braves call?
Is Dustin Ackley the most valuable commodity in baseball, or just one of them?
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BABVA,
Jeff