Dustin Ackley, the No. 2 pick in last year’s First-Year Player Draft, was among six roster cuts the Mariners made on Tuesday morning. And according to what general manager Jack Zduriencik told Jim Street of MLB.com, Ackley, who was drafted as an outfielder, will continue his transition to second base with Double-A West Tennessee.
“He is going to go out and play in games, and that’s the most important thing,” Zduriencik said. “You have to realize that every single time something happened to him in the field, it was the first time it happened at that position.
“It was the first time for a rundown, first time turning a double play, first time going after a popup in the outfield. That being said, he impressed with his athletic ability and day-to-day improvement.”
The Mariners are currently tossing around the idea of using Chone Figgins at second base and Jose Lopez at third base this season, though there’s no confirmation that it will actually happen once the games count in the standings. Personally, I feel they may be trying to show Lopez’s versatility in order to make him more valuable in a potential trade. Either way, it appears that the 22-year-old Ackley won’t be long for the minors.
