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It's been more than by the exuding of "presence". It's been weight bearing. Taking games and winning them. If the kids are going to win tough games, they need to be under the tutelage of players who are currently winning big games. They need to see it being done, and then they step in and do likewise. It has been noticeably lacking the last two seasons. I can't believe Blanco stepped in on day one and made a statement to young Zunino: you aren't in this alone. WOW! Smoak and Ackley did not have this when they came up and were immediately thrust into weight bearing positions. They looked around, and saw: Milton Bradley, Chone Figgins, a slumping Ichiro, hobbling Franklin Gutierrez, fading Adam Kennedy and Jack Cust. Remember Wifftastic Miguel Olivo (God bless him) was the power on the team. Who shows them how to "clear a house" ? Not by taking extra batting lractice, not by showing up early, not by taking notes. By CLEARING THE HOUSE - by taking the fight to Yankee stadium, so much so that when the great Rivera comes to your house, he pitches around the grizzled vet to get to YOU. That's a lesson in itself that will command respect.
The kids of the last two seasons learned, rather, how to be cleared by a house aiming weapons their way. They were replacement soldiers, without on field leadership that is effective and thus commands respect. This leadership is best offered when the player is at a high confidence level, not when he's filled with self doubt. That's why I don't think it was helpful to Ackley when it arrived too late. Worn down by his inability to carry the team in 2011 (we were a winning ballclub when he arrived, yet ended up with a mere 67 wins in the end) it only magnified his feelings of self doubt.
Morse is going to have to rebound, along with continued excellence from Morales, to keep the pressure from breaking these kids should Ibanez and Bay break down like Kennedy and Cust did in 2011. Ackley will hopefully return to provide the spark from Tacoma that Carp did in 2011, but it will be a wiser and better prepared Dustin Ackley, and he'll be adding to a good mix of kids and veterans, not saving the day (I hope).