Dustin Ackley
| AB | 2125 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .241 |
| OBP | .304 |
| SLG | .367 |
| HR | 46 |
- Full name Dustin Michael Ackley
- Born 02/26/1988 in Winston-Salem, NC
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School North Carolina
- Debut 06/17/2011
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Drafted in the 1st round (2nd overall) by the Seattle Mariners in 2009 (signed for $6,000,000).
View Draft Report
Ackley played at a 1-A high school against modest competition, and while area scouts knew about him they couldn't pull the trigger three years ago. Their loss was North Carolina's gain, as Ackley is in the midst of his third consecutive .400 season. The 2007 BA Freshman of the Year, Ackley has the best pure swing and pure bat in the '09 draft class, and maybe the best this decade. He's also a 70 runner (on the 20-80 scale) underway and should be a top-of-the-order, base-stealing threat in pro ball. Ackley has a disciplined approach and makes hitting look easy thanks to his advanced athleticism. He's balanced at the plate and has amazing hand-eye coordination, getting the barrel of the bat to the hitting zone quickly and leaving it there as long as possible. After hitting 17 home runs in his first two seasons, he was tied for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 16, and scouts grade his raw power as average, if not a tick above. His lone below-average tool is his arm, which he injured as a prep senior while pitching. He has played primarily first base at North Carolina and had Tommy John surgery at the end of the summer of 2008. He made two starts in the outfield in mid-May, and most scouts project him as a future center fielder and potential plus defender. He's a solid-average defender at first base if he winds up there. Scouts struggle to come up with comparisons because he's such a unique player. If he becomes a batting champion and premium leadoff man as a pro, he'll become a player others are compared to.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Undrafted out of high school, Ackley starred as a first baseman at North Carolina. He hit .412 in three years with the Tar Heels and led them to three College World Series, where he set a record with 28 hits in 15 games. The consensus No. 2 player in the 2009 draft behind Stephen Strasburg, he went second overall and signed at the Aug. 17 deadline for a big league contract that included a $6 million bonus and $7.5 million in guaranteed money. He entered pro ball as a center fielder in the Arizona Fall League, but the Mariners decided to try him at second base in his 2010 debut. He got off to a rocky start at Double-A West Tenn, batting .139 through May 3, but he hit .301 in the next two months. Ackley finished the year by destroying the Arizona Fall League, hitting .424/.581/.758, setting a league record for onbase percentage and winning MVP honors. Scouts regarded Ackley as one of the most polished hitters to come out of the draft in years. He's extremely patient at the plate, recognizes pitches well and isn't afraid to wait for the pitch he wants or to hit with two strikes. He can sometimes pull off pitches, but he gets his bat on plane with the ball extremely quickly and his barrel stays in the hitting zone for a long time. His picturesque swing and uncanny handeye coordination produce excellent plate coverage. Ackley is mostly a gap hitter now, but he can drive the ball to all fields and occasionally shows nice loft. He sometimes hits off his front foot too much, but Seattle is confident he'll develop at lest 15-homer power as he adds strength to his unimposing frame. Getting stronger also will help him fight fatigue over the long season. He looked worn down even while tearing up the AFL, but to his credit he always hustles and never gives away at-bats. Ackley has 65 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale, and the Mariners want him to make better use of it on the basepaths after stealing just 10 bases in 13 attempts in 2010. He played shortstop in high school, but the move to second base wasn't easy. Rough at first, he worked diligently and improved his footwork, range and hands, especially on backhanding balls to his right. He learned how to read and anticipate hops, as well as the need for throwing from different arm angles. He hurt his arm pitching as a high school senior and had Tommy John surgery in 2008, but it's average now. While he may never be an asset at second base, he's a good athlete and could handle any of three outfield positions. He also could be a plus defender at first base. Ackley's father, John, spent seven seasons as a catcher in the Red Sox organization and Dustin has a professional approach and a strong work ethic. Ackley is nearly ready for the big leagues. Seattle traded Jose Lopez to the Rockies in December, opening a spot in the lineup. It also would make sense for the Mariners to give Ackley some more Triple-A time to further refine his defense and delay his arbitration and free agency eligibility for an extra year. -
undrafted out of a small high school in central North Carolina because he had a balky elbow and had faced low-level prep competition, Ackley starred for three seasons at North Carolina. Baseball America's 2007 Freshman of the Year, he led the Tar Heels to College World Series appearances in all three of his years, making the all-tournament team each time and setting the CWS record with 28 hits in 15 games. In NCAA postseason play, he batted 55-for-134 (.410) over 31 games, finishing with a 22-game hitting streak. Ackley finished as North Carolina's all-time leader in batting (.412), hits (346), runs (227) and total bases (544). He cracked 22 homers in 2009 after combining to hit 17 during his first two seasons, and earned first-team All-America honors as well as the nod as Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year. Selected second overall by Seattle, Ackley signed a five-year major league contract at the Aug. 17 deadline, a deal that included a $6 million bonus and a $7.5 million guarantee. Dustin's father John spent seven seasons as a catcher in the Red Sox system, topping out in Triple-A. Ask any scout about Ackley and they'll focus immediately on his pure lefthanded stroke and his awe-inspiring feel for hitting. He combines all the necessary ingredients to win batting titles in the big leagues, including supreme hand-eye coordination, bat speed and a balanced, all-fields approach. He recognizes pitches and barrels up those in the strike zone. Most evaluators predict average power for Ackley, whose wiry strength is concentrated in his hands and forearms. Though he's not an overly physical player, he can turn on inside fastballs and pull them for home runs, and he can launch bombs to center field during batting practice. In games, however, he focuses on hitting the ball up the middle and to the opposite field, projecting as more of a gap-to-gap hitter. Ackley is a strong athlete who grades as an above-average runner and flashes 70 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale. He gets out of the box quickly and down the line in a shade under four seconds. Under way, he appears to glide despite his short running stride, and he aggressively seeks the extra base. Ackley injured his throwing arm while pitching as a prep senior and had Tommy John surgery following his sophomore year at North Carolina, which precluded him from playing more than a handful of games in center field in 2009, as had been planned. He spent the majority of his time at first base, where he rated as a solid defender. His arm strength rates as below-average, and he has yet to prove he can handle any position but first base on a daily basis. A unique talent, Ackley draws no natural comparisons. The Mariners haven't decided his future position. He played a bit of center field but mostly left in the Arizona Fall League, and Seattle planned to try him out at second base in January workouts. Wherever Ackley settles on the diamond, he should hit. He ought to reach Double-A West Tenn, at the very least, by the end of his first pro season.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Ackley's pro debut last year was lackluster at times, but this season he left no doubt why he landed a $7.5 million big league contract as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 draft. He's a pure hitter with quality plate discipline and hand-eye coordination, and he was the Mariners' biggest threat after he joined them in mid-June. He's a threat to hit 15 or more homers annually, though much of his power comes to the gaps. Ackley has plus speed that translates more into stretching base hits than stealing a lot of bases. A first baseman in college who has shifted to second base, he looked more comfortable there and did a better job of making the routine play in 2011. He has the athleticism and an average arm to become a solid defender. -
Ackley looked overwhelmed early in the year, when the Mariners sent him straight to Double-A and moved him to second base to start his pro career. After a horrific April, his bat came alive and he earned a promotion to Tacoma in July. Ackley has a picturesque swing that generates solid bat speed with excellent plate coverage. He has some loft in his swing, though his all-fields approach is geared more for doubles than homers, and his raw power grades out as average. He has plus speed and draws praise for how hard he runs out every ball. Though he's quick and athletic, Ackley is a below-average defender at second base. He's still learning the position, but his arm strength is questionable and he struggles to turn double plays. PCL scouts projected that he'd return to the outfield, where he played in the Arizona Fall League in 2009, a move that would get his bat to Seattle more quickly. -
Ackley put together one of the best seasons in AFL history by batting .424.581/.758, easily breaking the single season on-base percentage record of .537 set by Ken Harvey in 2002. Most importantly, the power that many observers were waiting to see since his pro debut in the AFL in 2009 was on display this fall, especially during the season's second half. When other players started to show their fatigue late in the season, Ackley got a second wind and finished with a very strong second half. His second base defense is still a work in progress but improving as he completes his first season at the position. While in Arizona, he worked out daily with Mariners infield instructor Darrin Garner on both his glove work and baserunning. Ackley's bat is close to big league ready but he will likely begin the season back in Triple-A, where he spent the second half of 2010, continuing to work on his defense. -
Making his pro debut after signing a $7.5 million big league contact as the No. 2 overall pick in 2009, Ackley initially struggled to live up to his billing as the best college hitter in recent memory. As late as May 3, Ackley was batting .139. One scout questioned his bat speed, and another wondered if he was having problems seeing the ball. Ackley's strong plate discipline never wavered and he eventually fought his way out of the slump. He hit .310/.425/.448 in his final two months with West Tenn, showing his ability to make adjustments, barrel balls and drive them into the gaps. He's not much of a home run threat now, but he should develop average power as he gains strength, and he hit seven Triple-A home runs, counting the playoffs. Ackley played first base at North Carolina, but the Mariners are trying to develop him at second base, where his defensive reviews were mixed. He's a below-average second baseman with fringy arm strength, and several observers thought he'd be better off in the outfield, where his plus speed would be an asset.
Top 100 Rankings
Best Tools List
- Rated Best Strike-Zone Discipline in the Pacific Coast League in 2011
- Rated Fastest Baserunner in the Seattle Mariners in 2011
- Rated Best Strike-Zone Discipline in the Seattle Mariners in 2011
- Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Seattle Mariners in 2011
- Rated Best Strike-Zone Discipline in the Southern League in 2010
- Rated Best Hitter for Average in the Seattle Mariners in 2010
Scouting Reports
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Ackley put together one of the best seasons in AFL history by batting .424.581/.758, easily breaking the single season on-base percentage record of .537 set by Ken Harvey in 2002. Most importantly, the power that many observers were waiting to see since his pro debut in the AFL in 2009 was on display this fall, especially during the season's second half. When other players started to show their fatigue late in the season, Ackley got a second wind and finished with a very strong second half. His second base defense is still a work in progress but improving as he completes his first season at the position. While in Arizona, he worked out daily with Mariners infield instructor Darrin Garner on both his glove work and baserunning. Ackley's bat is close to big league ready but he will likely begin the season back in Triple-A, where he spent the second half of 2010, continuing to work on his defense.
