2010 Seattle Mariners Top 20 Prospects in Review
by John Sickels on Aug 5, 2010 7:00 PM EDT
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Here is a review of the 2010 Mariners prospect list, originally published January 11, 2010. THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE OLD LIST AND PRE-SEASON GRADES. THIS IS NOT A NEW LIST. The 2011 list and new grades won't be ready until the season is over and I start writing the book.
1) Dustin Ackley, 2B, Grade A-: .265/.389/.388 with eight steals, 67 walks, 52 strikeouts between Double-A and Triple-A. Shows outstanding plate discipline, but not much power at this point. Still working on defense at second. I think he has a good chance to breakout next year, although I expect I'll lower his grade to a strong B+.
2) Michael Saunders, OF, Grade B: .238/.309/.427 in 65 games for the Mariners, 19/55 BB/K in 185 at-bats. Has shown some pop but rather disappointing overall. At 23 he still has time to improve.
3) Gabriel Noriega, SS, Grade B-: .225/.289/.277 for Clinton in the Midwest League. Can't hit yet, but still very young at 19. Has split season between 2B and SS, will likely end up at 2B.
4) Alex Liddi, 3B, Grade B-: Hitting .267/.341/.472 for Double-A West Tennessee. Needs work with the glove and his plate discipline is marginal, but he's shown enough to indicate that last year wasn't a complete High Desert illusion.
5) Carlos Triunfel, SS-3B, Grade B-: .267/.296/.348 in Double-A, with an 11/45 BB/K in 407 at-bats. Positives: he's still just 20. He doesn't strike out much. Negatives: no power yet, miniscule walk rate, poor range at shortstop. Stock dropping though still young enough to improve.
6) Nick Franklin, SS, Grade B-: .286/.349/.517 with 19 homers, 19 steals, 32 walks, 83 strikeouts in 381 at-bats for Low-A Clinton. Very impressive power/speed production, stock is rising.
7) Michael Pineda, RHP, Grade B-: Outstanding season, 11-3, 2.71, 131/28 K/BB in 123 innings, 98 hits between Double-A and Triple-A. Now one of the elite RHP prospects around in my view.
8) Mario Martinez, 3B, Grade C+: .254/.289/.398 in 88 games for Clinton, 15/81 BB/K in 327 at-bats. Defense at third is pretty good according to reports, but the bat needs work. Still just 20.
9) Dan Cortes, RHP, Grade C+: 5.61 ERA with 77/52 K/BB in 89 innings in Double-A, 73 hits. Awful as a starter, but has a 1.17 ERA and a 12/3 K/BB in eight innings since moving to relief role last month. I suspect the bullpen is his long-term job.
10) James Jones, OF, Grade C+: Hit .205/.319/.364 in the first half, .319/.394/.514 in the second half. Overall .249/.347/.422 for Low-A Clinton with 18 steals, nine homers, 49 walks, 89 strikeouts in 358 at-bats. Has figured something out lately, breakthrough candidate in 2011.
11) Adam Moore, C, Grade C+: .321/.359/.463 in Triple-A, .188/.224/.328 in the majors. He'll get more chances.
12) Ezequiel Carrera, OF, Grade C+: .284/.353/.336 in 81 games split between three levels, now with Indians system. 13 steals. Future reserve outfielder, I don't think he'll show enough power to get behind that.
13) Dennis Raben, OF, Grade C+: .221/.320/.450 in 42 games for Clinton, .356/.413/.681 in 40 games for High Desert, 20 homers combined but also 96 strikeouts in 82 games. Power impressive, not sure about batting average and OBP at higher levels.
14) Mauricio Robles, LHP, Grade C+: 4.17 ERA, 115/47 K/BB in 108 innings, 98 hits in Double-A. Not bad at all, and he's just 21.
15) Kanaoke Texeira, RHP, Grade C+: 5.30 ERA with 14/10 K/BB in 19 innings for the Mariners. Claimed on waivers by the Royals, 3.60 ERA with 14/8 K/BB in 30 innings. I think he can be a competent middle reliever.
16) Johermyn Chavez, OF, Grade C: .313/.382/.584 with 27 homers, 41 walks, 105 strikeouts in 409 at-bats for High Desert. Looks like a breakout...but it is High Desert and the Cal League.
17) Julio Morban, OF, Grade C: Has received just 10 at-bats in the Appalachian League.
18) Greg Halman, OF, Grade C: .253/.329/.562 with 24 homers, 31 walks, 120 strikeouts in 297 at-bats for Triple-A Tacoma, with 11 steals in 13 attempts. Still has terrific power/speed potential, but the strikeout rate is still very excessive.
19) Mike Carp, 1B, Grade C: .252/.329/.472 with 17 homers for Tacoma. Not exactly exciting, and at 24 he needs to take a step forward soon or get stuck as a Triple-A slugger.
20) Maikel Cleto, RHP, Grade C: 5.63 ERA with 62/23 K/BB in 72 innings for High Desert, 93 hits. Not pretty, but it is High Desert. ERA is almost two runs lower on the road than at home.
Not a great year for this group of prospects. Pineda and Franklin are the only ones who have significantly improved their stock; the others are holding steady or dropping. Jones could put up some stunning numbers next year at High Desert if he maintains his current progress.
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Infield
assuming the big IF, Liddi-Franklin-Ackley-Smoak might be among my favorite projectable infield.
I don't know if Liddi can stick at third base with his glove
I’ve heard he’s pretty rough out there, and a move to 1B or the outfield could be in order soon.
You could see Triunfel at 3B instead of Liddi, although it’s worth remembering that Figgins is signed through 2013.
I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy
by Satchel Price on Aug 6, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
James Jones
I’m interested in hearing more about Jones, as we’re usually a little behind the curve on the “toolsy athlete who figures things out” type of prospect. If anybody’s got opinions or information on Jones they’d like to share, I’m all ears.
I think...
if everything goes well and he maintains his plate discipline, 20/20 with an OPS around .850 at his peak. My guess is he destroys High A, gets a ton of Alex Rios comps, then struggles in AA like Halman.
by another know it all on Aug 5, 2010 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions
He won't struggle like Halman. Jones has a pretty good eye. I'm more interested in his defensive
value going forward, because I think he has a very good approach to hitting and will probably hit enough to be a big leaguer. If he can play CF than he’s very interesting. If he’s going to play a COF spot than he still looks like a potential solid players, but not as exciting.
He's most likely a COF
but a potentially very good one.
Overall I can see more positives than negatives in the Mariners system this year.
Ackley had a bad first month, minus that, he’s been very impressive.
Saunders has looked like a major league caliber player over the last month, plus defense, power, only 23.
Franklin being Franklin.
Pineda developing into one of the top 5 (If not top) RHP in the minor leagues.
Cortes has been dominating as a reliever, touching 98 mph.
Jones 2nd half.
Robles, Chavez, Halman.
Add to that we now have Texas’s top hitting prospect before the season. We now have Josh Lueke. We now have Beavan.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m biased. :)
I'll support the Saunders part
Not great stats, but I want to give him a long-term consistent chance of playing time before downgrading him. I don’t know that he’ll ever be a high avg guy, but a .736 overall OPS, which has improved lately, is nothing to be disappointed in, especially since it’s probably only slightly below average for all major leaguers (of course I’d love to see him put up .265/.325/.485 right now). Not all rookies come out like Heyward and Strasburg, and most players struggle when being yanked in and out of the lineup.
Saunders has definitely shown .800 OPS for stretches this season, and not insignificant ones.
I mean, SSS to be sure, but flashing defensive brilliance with a competent bat at 23 in the majors, isn’t easy to find.
by Kenneth Arthur on Aug 6, 2010 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Saunders
Given how he played last year in the majors, I’d say his play over the last 2-3 months has been encouraging. He’s shown a lot of signs of becoming the player scouts touted. He has some holes in his swing on pitches away, apparently, but at his age he has time to improve.
I think I'd go Ackley, Pineda, Liddi, Franklin, and Halman as the top 5.
Which isn’t a bad top five to have. Two definite Top 50s (Ackley, Pineda), a definite Top 75 (Franklin), and maybe Top-100s (either Halman or Liddi).
Halman still shouldn't be close to a top 100 IMO
No that’s striking out in over 36% of their PA should be close to that high. He’s definitely a legitimate prospect again, but I’d still be hard pressed to give anyone with that big of a contact problem anything higher than a B-.
I agree completely.
But he seems to be getting a lot of traction lately. People go apepoop over power/defense potential, especially in center.
And, surprisingly enough, his strikeout rate is about what it was last year.
The reason he's moved up is he's hitting better and walking more
Whether or not the strikeout rate improved has nothing to do with it.
Guess I misunderstood
Thought you were correcting me on something.
The reason I'm optimistic about Halman's approach...
is that he’s improved over last year. The strikeout rate is the same, but he’s walking significantly more, despite moving up a level.
Halman has shown the elements he’ll need to be an impact hitter. He’s kept the K’s at 25% for multiple stops. He’s shown he can walk at 10% rate for a significant period. He hasn’t done both at the same time yet; but if he does, he’s going to be a very good player.
I think at some point he is what he is.
He has time to improve his discipline but I think he’ll shatter Reynolds’ K record with a full season in the Majors.
You guys win. You can keep your little marked-out piece of internet territory. Spend your days communicating via keyboard with people too ugly for the real world and too nerdy for anyone to care, anyway. Your piece of land is here. Do the rest of civilization a favor and stay within its limits. You bore me. Have fun with your nightly sobs and screams into your pillow over your inability to attract a good mate, Radiohead. ~The Hooligan
by Daniel Berlyn on Aug 6, 2010 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree about Liddi. I don't even think he'll be a big leaguer. Halman still has time to work on the
strikeouts since he’s young. He has as much raw potential as any player in the minors, he just has to keep working, and cutting those K’s down to a decent rate. He’s always going to strikeout a lot, but he also brings huge power and plays a great outfield.
My Top 10 (and Im going to include the young guys with very minimal big league time)
1)Smoak
2)Pineda
3)Ackley
4)Saunders
5)Franklin
6)Moore
7)Lueke
8)Jones
9)Halman
10)Chavez
I think that is a good core of young players.
I was going to say something about Lueke too.
I love the K’s, but I could never put a dominating reliever over a potentially good hitter/defensive player like Jones and Halman and Chavez. Nor would I even put him ahead of somene like Blake Beavan who even as a #4 or #5 starter has the potential to be worth more WAR over a season than a dominating Lueke. And I really, really, love Lueke’s potential. But you’d also have to put the newly developed Dan Cortes close to him in the rankings too. I’d have both Lueke and Cortes in the 11-15 range.
by Kenneth Arthur on Aug 6, 2010 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Curious:
What do you base your “Noriega as future 2B” conclusion on, John? He’s been playing the majority of games there this year, but that’s mostly to get Franklin more reps at SS. I have seen Noriega many times and talked to a few scouts. His glove is the only reason he gets paid any attention whatsoever, and I have never heard any indication that he can’t handle SS.
100%
Completely concur with this thought.
I’ve heard a lot of things about Noriega but questioning his glove or range is not one of them. Most people label him as the top defensive shortstop within the system right now.
Also on Triunfel range, there is growing sentiment that he has gotten much better this past year. I’ve seen him and was pleseantly surprised. I thought I might just have rose stained glasses but Jason Churchill from PI also made the comment and has scouts voices to back it up. Errors are there, yes. But he is improving.
The problem Carp is he never gets chances
No matter how much better he is than the mariners lineup
…they should send down Huntington & Nutting, because they aren’t ready, either. - royshowell
The problem with Carp...
is he’s not a major league quality hitter. He doesn’t have enough power for a 1B, can’t hit lefties, and his glove is awful. He’s Bryan LaHair v.2.0. At this point he wouldn’t even make my personal top 10 of Tacoma Rainiers prospects, let alone top-20 in the system. His days as a prospect are over.
ouch
I have visions of Mike Carp reading this, bursting into tears, and screaming, “WHY, SLAMCACTUS? WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME SO????”
Nothing against him personally...
he’s just not a major league first baseman. He was a fringe prospect after ‘08, a suspect in ’09, and now he’s off the map. He’ll have a long career in Triple-A or in Japan. Just not in Seattle.
Japan would honestly be a good opportunity for someone like him.
You guys win. You can keep your little marked-out piece of internet territory. Spend your days communicating via keyboard with people too ugly for the real world and too nerdy for anyone to care, anyway. Your piece of land is here. Do the rest of civilization a favor and stay within its limits. You bore me. Have fun with your nightly sobs and screams into your pillow over your inability to attract a good mate, Radiohead. ~The Hooligan
by Daniel Berlyn on Aug 6, 2010 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions
John, I like your work, but I disagree that it's been a rough year for this bunch of prospects..
- Ackley had a bad first month, but has an OPS of around .850 since May in AA and AAA.
- I disagree with your assessment of Saunders. He’s shown legit power in his short time in Seattle this season. He’s an above average defender, and he is getting better each day. His numbers vs lefties are even coming up. He looks much more promising right now than he did prior to the season.
- Pineda may be the best pitching prospect in the minors right now when you take into account his stuff and how close he is to the majors. Any time your system produces a legit “#1 starter” prospect during the season, things aren’t that rough.
-Franklin has emerged from nowhere to become a Top 100 prospect. Most people laughed at his first round selection a year ago
-Halman was pretty much written off after his terrible 2009, but he’s bounced back into a viable prospect even with the strikeout issues.
-Jones and Chavez have upped their status IMO
I think it is a little carried away to say Pineda is a legit #1 SP. To me, there aren’t very many of those guys around at any level. To me, I take your statement as basically saying he could be a top 15 pitcher in the majors soon and I’m just not sure I’m willing to go that far.
Some of the other points I agree with. Ackley/Franklin are really nice, which gives the system 3 pretty legit guys at the top. Jones and Chavez show some promise and there are a few others, but I don’t think the system is that great.
stuff
Franklin hardly “emerged from nowhere.”
Halman still stinks. No way he succeeds with that strikeout rate.
by John Sickels on Aug 6, 2010 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
A lot of people mocked that pick and said it was an overdraft. I don't think anybody expected him
to have this kind of season.
I used to be big on Halman but I agree
The only reason that he gets promoted to Seattle is if they want to reduce the cost of the air conditioning.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 6, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think any projection of Halman as a starting outfielder in the majors has to have him with a 25% or lower K-rate.
There is still a lot to like though while hoping that he gets there.
I'm not sure that's remotely realistic.
There will be someone that lives with his power potential. The concern is whether he’s striking out on fastballs or offspeed. If it’s offspeed, he has a chance. If he’s whiffing on heat he has no chance in the bigs.
You guys win. You can keep your little marked-out piece of internet territory. Spend your days communicating via keyboard with people too ugly for the real world and too nerdy for anyone to care, anyway. Your piece of land is here. Do the rest of civilization a favor and stay within its limits. You bore me. Have fun with your nightly sobs and screams into your pillow over your inability to attract a good mate, Radiohead. ~The Hooligan
by Daniel Berlyn on Aug 6, 2010 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
So where do you guys think this sytem will rank at the end of the year?
Assuming nothing drastic happens (i.e. ackley losing his prospect status)
bottom 10
top 3 or 4 will be solid prospects… after that there’s not much. Lots of C prospects. All of their prospects with decent upside are 3+ years away
by another know it all on Aug 6, 2010 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't know if a system with 3 v.good prospects will be a bottom 10 system
I don’t think there is tons of depth and they have too many ‘projects’ and guys with good tools but very little polish. However a top 3 of Ackley, Pineda and Franklin should keep them mid pack as far as 2011 system rankings are concerned (IMO).
by TheQuestforMerlin on Aug 6, 2010 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't think Pineda and Ackley are "solid" prospect. They are both Top 10 or Top 15 prospects
Franklin is a Top 50 guy. If they sign the rest of their picks from this draft, I’d say they are in the middle of the pack. Next year will be a big year because guys like Halman, Liddi, and Triunfel will probably have to start putting up if they want to be considered future solid regulars. Halman will repeat AAA where he’s OPSing .900 but has strikeout issues. Liddi has to show something defensively. Triunfel will likely repeat AA at age 21, and will be two years removed from a bad injury. Next year he needs a real good showing in AA.
Plus, the 3-4 guys in High A who are putting up huge numbers will now get their first real challenge, when they go to AA.
I expect Franklin and Jones will put up big numbers in the Cal League, so not much intrigue there.
Of course the system will lose Ackley and Pineda, so that will knock them down. However, they will likely have a Top 3 pick in next year’s draft. Overall, I think the organization is doing a much better job with the farm and developing a solid core of young talent
Well now that you said at the end of the year...
Assuming the top 5 picks sign Paxton/Littlewood/Stynek in addition to the already signed Walker and Pryor the M’s have a core of upside arms Pineda/Walker/Paxton/Robles with a solid bullpen core Lueke/Cortes/Fields(if he can stay healthy)/Pryor and the position players aren’t too shabby with Ackley leading the group followed by Franklin with a couple toolsy outfielders closing in behind and Poythress/Raben figure to play a role at some point.
I’d say the M’s system while it’s not deep and plentiful it’s not as weak as most people would imagine. I’d say the M’s would rank around 15-20 in terms of the farm by the end of the year.
You got slurved!
Yeah, the issue is depth. The previous regime left the system almost completely baron in regards
to depth. That will take another 2-3 years to really work itself out.
Tillman/Mickolio/Butler/Choo/Asdrubel Cabrera/ WHY DAMMIT WHY!
But another thing GMZ has done well is he has turned a barren system into a decent/respectable one in such a short amount of time.
You got slurved!
Butler ended up not mattering much.
Sadly.
But the rest, yeah.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Aug 6, 2010 2:33 AM EDT up reply actions
The depth isn't THAT bad.
Considering that we basically just swapped out Aumont/Gillies/Ramirez for Smoak/Beavan/Lueke/Lawson and picked up a handful of player in the Putz deal and had a pretty good draft last year (can’t judge this years yet of course) I think Z has already made leaps and bounds compared to what he took over. Of course we don’t have Texas’s farm system, but I think its about the 15th best in baseball. The only thing that will really hurt us is graduation of players.
by Kenneth Arthur on Aug 6, 2010 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Denny Almonte is pretty good.
Legit power with 18, but 156 SO? DAng
151 strikeouts to 14 unintentional walks in 389 at bats.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Aug 6, 2010 6:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Denny Almonte = poor man's Greg Halman
Plays a pretty decent CF though. Would have been a great gamble for a 6th-8th round pick. 2nd round? Not so much.
From today's Baseball America Hotsheet chat:
Joe (New York): Whats your take on Dustin Ackley and what can we expect at the MLB level from him.
Ben Badler: Very good prospect, outstanding strike-zone judgment and a good hitter with feel for the barrel, but I’m not quite as high on him as some others are. Don’t get me wrong, I like him, but the power right now is playing as a 30 tool and I think it’s going to take more time than people realize for him to be ready for the big leagues as a result. Once he gets into his mid-20s he might become at least an above-average regular, but I don’t see him making an impact right away next year
by King Billy Royal on Aug 6, 2010 4:56 PM EDT reply actions
Nothing wrong with that assessment.
Dave Cameron just got done writing a piece on Brock & Salk’s blog about how Ackley’s power may / will develop late. I think we’ve all pretty much come to an agreement that Ackley will never be more than a 15-20 HR guy at most.
Though I’ll disagree with Badler on whether Ackley can make an impact next season or not. Even if Ackley posts an exact line to his overall numbers right now in the minors next season (a .265 / .389 / .388 line, .777 OPS) that’d still be an above league average contribution.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Aug 6, 2010 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
15-20 HR?
I just can’t see that happening. I think he may hit for a decent average but 20 HR for a 30 tool guy seems like a lot. It isn’t like he is a high school kid who you can project to add lots of power.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 6, 2010 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Well now you're saying he's never gonna develop power.
Even though he’s a 30 tool guy now that doesn’t mean he still can’t develop power. Even then his power was expected to be along the lines of holy crap that’s a lot of doubles.
You got slurved!
Will you quit thinking in absolutes?
but the power right now is playing as a 30 tool
I emphasized an important part of Badler’s analysis. He’s using results to dictate Ackley’s power rating. Because Ackley isn’t showing power, it is currently playing like a 30 tool. He’s not saying Ackley IS a 30 power on the 20-80 scale and he’s not saying Ackely IS ONLY GOING TO BE a 30 power on the 20-80 scale.
It’s no wonder you and Dewey are hard up to knock Ackley as a prospect. You read and comprehend what you want instead of actually understanding what is being said.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Aug 6, 2010 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Response
First off don’t speak for Dewey. I am making these comments and they have nothing to do with Dewey’s opinions. Your shot at him here is rather trollish.
Secondly, I am stating that I do not see his power tool becoming much more then a 30 because he is a polished college hitter and has shown very little power this season. It is a lot more likely that he is a 10-15 homer guy then a 20 homer guy. Also, stop taking comments about Ackley so personally.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 6, 2010 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I speak for myself. Dewey's speakings have revealed plenty about his general nature.
Just as yours have. I’m allowed to judge someone based on their merits. Also, Dewey has been leading the charge amongst the threads on this blog in tearing Ackley’s prospect status down. He has turned himself into the target of opposition. You have no right to complain on his behalf about criticisms brought his way.
Secondly, you have no reason to believe that Ackley will continue to show a lack of power. You’d also be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks Ackley is doomed to be a 30 power type player.
Also, stop making asinine criticisms supported by nothing but your gut instinct and I’ll stop defending Ackley.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Aug 6, 2010 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
It isn't just instinct
I am looking at his numbers. Until he shows he can hit some dingers, I will choose to believe otherwise.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 6, 2010 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions
College to ML transition takes time...
.591/.597/.763 Ackley SLG at UNC. That would be 10 HRS in 296 AB, 7 in 278 and 22 in 266.
He will never again slug over .500 and I don’t think he’ll ever hit over 25 home runs. … but he hardly will stay at 30. Shut your mouth.
Also
You really need to stop taking these things so personally. My feelings about Ackley really reveal nothing about my ‘merits’.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 6, 2010 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Did you miss me? Aw, shucks...
Dustin Ackley is Michael Brantley playing bad defense at second base.
If that impresses you, you really are a typical idiot fan.
You obviously didn’t believe me when I said Ackley hits like a girl, now a reputable source (Ben Badler of Baseball America) confirms my claim. Yet you still disagree and believe that Ackley has this magical power potential. Whats your deal? Do you take drugs or something?
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
Huh that's funny the reports I hear are Ackley may be error prone(as he is new to the position) but he's an average defender.
It’s only a question whether or not he can be a plus one. Also you’re cherry picking info. Here’s some key words for you the power right now is playing like a 30 tool. And plugging him for 15-20 HR is hardly magical it’s realistic. As Badler states he still has a lot of room to grow. To plug him down for double digit HRs and 45+ doubles and I heard his speed tool is a 70, so combine plate discipline with contact and speed and gap power you’re looking at a .300/.400/.450+ type hitter with say 25+ steals playing second base a la a faster Joe Mauer?
Also Ackley started of his MiLB career against tougher competition AA/AAA. Did you know Joe Mauer only hit .302/.398/.397 over the course of a full season in A ball and he hit only 4 HR? Yeah he hits like a girl and totally did for the rest of his career. While we’re comparing the two did you know Ackley in 100 less AB has hit the same amount of doubles (25) 4 more triples (5) but one less HR (3) than Joe Mauer did in his intro to rookie ball. All I can say is they both hit like girls and will probably do so for the rest of their career.
Ackley is holding his own against advanced MiLB competition and I’m gonna go along with Sickels and agree that Ackley will have a breakout year next year.
You got slurved!
Am I being punked? Are you Ashton Kutcher?
For a second there, I thought you were actually seriously comparing Dustin Ackley to Joe Mauer. ROTFL! You should definitely audition for next season’s Last Comic Standing.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
Someone should audition to be a judge
The current ones are terrible.
Olerud never even played in the minors.
He was able to hit for some pop in his first year in the majors at a younger age then Ackley.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 7, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Well currently I think he a better shot of being Brian Roberts or Derek Jeter at the moment.
You got slurved!
wow
I can’t take you seriously anymore.
No need to waste my time with you.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
Brian Roberts spent 5 years as a 3.5 to 4.5 WAR player,
which meets Ackley projections that are neither overly optimistic or pessimistic. If you project Ackley to be worse than that, you have yet to back your assertions.
I feel like a broken record...
-He has no power, best case scenario, he pops 10 HRs However, I don’t see that as very likely as his swing just does not generate loft.
-He is not very good defensively at 2B. It is an experiment that is failing, and its just a matter of time before he is moved to LF.
-His speed is grossly overstated. Do you realize that Roberts avgd 35 SBs from 2005-2009? Ackley does not have that kind of speed or basestealing ability.
*Dustin Ackley is pretty much gonna be Chris Coghlan in LF for the Mariners. I am not say thats a bad player by any means, but certainly not worth the hype and prospect rankings he has been receiving.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
Your gonna look bad when Ackley has a season where he hits 20 Homeruns
Ackley was put straight into the Southern League which is more pitcher friendly than anything else and then promoted to the PCL which is very hitter friendly except for his home park Cheney Stadium. He has 4 months at a new F-ing position which i guess is not enough for many and 10-20 homeruns shouldnt be that hard to accomplish for him. You show know evidence just what your opinion is, and until you actually see him play don’t say a thing.
…they should send down Huntington & Nutting, because they aren’t ready, either. - royshowell
by Marinerfanjake on Aug 9, 2010 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I never read this
That is very impressive if true. Do you have a link?
by King Billy Royal on Aug 7, 2010 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Did Mauer come out of high school or college?
Because by the time Mauer was Ackley’s age he was already performing in the majors.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 7, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
also
Joe Mauer was a big kid (6’4, 200 lbs) so the power was more easily projectable for him. Dustin Ackley is considerably smaller with no loft in his swing.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
So you're saying Ackley will not get any bigger scouts were wrong about his line-drive swing and he has no chance for power right?
All right then.
You got slurved!
dont get pissy because your Ackley to Mauer comp was absolutely ridiculous in every aspect
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
+1
I’d do plus a million but< i’m only one dude. I’d give a longer, more thoughtfull reponse If there was anything to grasp onto.
I don’t see what makes Ackley a better prospect than Nick Franklin other than what “scouts” think- and I do meen to put the word scout in quotes. When exactly is he going to begin to do all this hitting we keep hearing about?
Rip Fredrick0220, cwhitman412, Mets2k9- mis you guys
Even though he's a polished college hitter betting against him to get stronger and increasing his power tool is very foolish.
Ackley is listed 185 but he’s closer to 175. If Ackley matures and gets stronger there is plenty of room for power. We know Ackley won’t hit 30 HR a year but 20 isn’t that much of a stretch. He could easily be a hitter that hits double digit HRs with 45+ doubles. Also another point he started the year in AA then moved to AAA he started off by facing advanced competition and he’s held his own.
You got slurved!
I think he can hit double digit homeruns
I just think it will be a lot closer to 10 as opposed to 20.
by King Billy Royal on Aug 6, 2010 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
KBR
I think you are right that projecting Ackley as a 20 homer guy seems a bit high, for the reasons you state. Then again, Ike Davis couldn’t hit a homer in Brooklyn, and then flashed some legit power, so I won’t judge him too harshly based just on this year. Of course, Ackley never had the power rep or flashed it in college the way Davis did.
I don't.
His path to the majors is more like Bill Mueller with slightly more power, IMO.
And he doesn’t have anywhere near Lowell’s glove, which is a problem. His defensive tools probably play up best in RF.
How can possibly like Liddi,and not Ackley
Liddi has a huge platoon split with suspect defense he will be at best a below average fielding platoon 3B.
by Mariners121212 on Aug 12, 2010 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
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