Is Dustin Ackley Slated To Play Second Base over Outfield?

With the second pick in the 2009 MLB draft, the Seattle Mariners selected NC State's 1B/OF Dustin Ackley. The Mariners drafted Ackley as an OF and Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik said that Ackley would be an outfielder in the Majors.

I love the selection of Ackley. He was the best hitting prospect in the draft and the second best player in the draft behind Steven Strasberg, but he's behind him by a long shot.

However, there is one problem I have. That's the fact that the Mariners drafted him as an OF and Zduriencik said he would be an OF in the Majors.

They have just created one huge log jam. The Mariners are loaded with OF prospects. Their top two prospects according to Baseball America Greg Halman and Michael Saunders could both be on the ML roster come this August or September.

Now Halman, from the way things look right now, doesn't make him seem like their No. 1 prospect. He's hitting below .200 and here's and interesting fact to think about. Halman has 97 SO. If you were to add up his hits, HRs, RBI, and SB all together it would still be lower than his strike out total.

Halman has 40 hits, 13 HRs, 34 RBI, and four SB. That adds up to 91, still eight shy of his SO total. Halman also has more SO that total bases (88).

So take out Halman of the equation for a starting Mariners OF job this season or next season. That still leaves Michael Saunders (AAA), Franklin Gutierrez (current starting CF), and even Ichiro if they wanted to move him back but that wont happen.

Saunders, who is doing great in AAA Tacoma, will most likely become the starting LF for the Mariners next season and have Gutierrez most likely be in CF because they are aiming for a speedy defensive team.

So since Ackley is going to be a fast riser and could be in the Majors by next season, where will he play? Well if you look at the Mariners farm system they don't have a second baseman. They have Carlos Triunfel, who is most likely going to become the Mariners' SS, because of Betancourt bombing and Cedeno being just a fill in.

So could Ackley be the Mariners second baseman? The Mariners already have Jose Lopez, but could look to trade him and get some decent pitching help in return.

Ackley, who has drawn a lot of comparison to Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, could be a great fit at second base. He's got plus plus speed, a good arm, and is very strong.

And for any Mariners fan out there who are think that since he was a first baseman in college, he should be the Mariners' first baseman.

There are three problems with that. First, its very likely that if they don't trade him, current first baseman Russell Branyan could get a two year extension and possibly teach catcher Jeff Clement how to play first. Clement has great power but has subpar catching skill, unlike Adam Moore, who will most likely be the team's starting catcher next season.

Second, if the Ms trade Branyan, they still have Mike Carp and Jeff Clement. Clement might have the advantage because he's played in the Majors before whereas Carp has never played in a ML game.

Third, he only played 1B in college because he has Tommy John surgery so he couldn't play second or the OF.

So next season, Jack Zduriencik needs to make the right choice and have Dustin Ackley be the starting second baseman for the Seattle Mariners.