The Mariners have released infielder/outfielder Dustin Ackley from his minor league contract, per a club announcement. Ackley, who returned to the Mariners on a minor league deal back in January, had been in camp and appeared in 11 games with Seattle this spring, though he’d only tallied a total of 18 plate appearances. In that time, Ackley collected a trio of singles and drew six walks against three strikeouts.
Formerly the No. 2 overall draft pick (Mariners, 2009) and one of the game’s top all-around prospects, the now-31-year-old Ackley hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since a brief, 28-game stint with the Yankees in 2016. It’s been quite a bit longer than that since he enjoyed productivity at the MLB level, however.
Ackley quickly ascended to the Majors, debuting barely two years after being drafted out of UNC, and he made an immediate impression in Seattle when he hit .273/.348/.417 with six homers, 16 doubles, seven triples and six steals through his first 90 games (376 plate appearances) back in 2011. Ackley was widely considered an advanced bat and a slam-dunk big leaguer, but his offense unexpectedly cratered and never recovered following that solid rookie campaign. In 1971 MLB plate appearances since his debut season, Ackley has managed just a .235/.296/.358 slash. If he’s to ultimately work his way back to the big leagues, he’ll assuredly require a stop in Triple-A, where he hit .286/.378/.398 in 284 PAs for the Angels’ affiliate in 2018.
I’d like to see a team take a shot with this guy. Hope he gets picked up. Rays maybe?
This has Pittsburgh written all over it if they can get him for peanuts.
It absolutely does. We love coulda been/never will be players.
.286 at AAA last year good enough for a look-see with someone.
.286/..378/.398 in the notorious hitter friendly PCL isn’t good. That’s right in line with his minor league average.
End of an era
Dont know why, but this story always struck me as sad
The Danny Hultzen saga was more depressing.
Agreed. Hultzen is a sad story. And baseball history is littered with young phenoms experiencing career ending injuries. Until Tommy John surgeries, so many pitchers were lost.
Yep, at some point there will be the equivalent to TJS for shoulders, but until then it’s just so rare to see pitchers recover from shoulder injuries. Hultzen is an obvious one, but the ones that, for me, really hurt – because they might have had really special careers – were Brandon Webb and Mark Prior. And going even further back, Brien Taylor.
Brien Taylor number one pick hurt his arm in bar fight defending brother or something rediculose that’s movie crap there?
Yeah, he was in a bar fight and got slammed onto his shoulder and never recovered from it. It was still a shoulder injury. He tried to come back a few times but would have lines like 12 IP and 47 walks allowed. in 5 starts. The Yanks had another prospect around the same time named Sam Militello who made the majors, pitched well, then hurt his shoulder and had a season in the minors after in which he pitched four innings and walked 19 batters. Shoulder injuries are pretty rough.
Dude you don’t have a clue he never pitched and never has been in a bar let alone a fight. You must be a democrat with your fake news
Both careers derailed by injury. Really a bummer. Loved to watched Ackley play when he was in his “prime.”
In Franchise Mode of MLB Road to the Show 2016, Dustin Ackley signed with the Yankees and he won the batting title that year. The AI Gods were on his side.
If he were just a bit older and made more money he’d be perfect for the Giants
Good one 😉
Headline: GIANTS POISED TO SIGN WILL CLARK!
Headline : GIANTS POISED TO SIGN MEL OTT!
I was a college baseball player when he was at UNC, so I kept up with what was going on and I don’t think people realize how god-like he was at the plate.
If he came up in the 1980s he probably would’ve had a long career in MLB.
He would have been WAYYY too young.
If the Mariners had the #1 overall pick that year they would have ended up with Strasburg instead of Ackley Crazy.
And Jack Z would have traded Strasburg for three magic beans.
And they would have had it, but they swept their last series of the season.
Makes you wonder if the A’s purposely tanked so we wouldn’t get Strasburg?
True but the Mariners also got to draft both Griffey Jr. and A-Rod 1/1 without having the worst record in baseball.
They swept Oakland at the end of the season to cost themselves the #1 pick. I was furious.
Another highly talented guy that couldn’t sustain at the Major League level
Mariners were just one of 21 teams which passed on Mike Trout in that draft.
Even the Angels passed on him once!
Nah, the Angels were just making a point taking Grichuk ahead of Trout with picks 24 and 25. That made them seem less eager in signing terms negotiations.
Had there been only 1 pick, it would have been Trout for sure.
Burn in hell Mariners!!
– Keith Law
Never recovered from being drafted ahead of Trout, Goldschmidt, J.D. Martinez, Pollock, Arenado,.Lemahieu, Keukel, Corbin, Kipnis, Dozier. et al, let’s just say that with a long bad history of drafts choices, this was one of the worst for the Mariners.
There was no consensus next pick. If it wasn’t Strasburg it was for sure ackley
I looked up Ackley’s career earnings and it’s around 10.5 million dollars not including whatever signing bonus he got as a number 2 pick. So yeah, I feel sorry for him but not too sorry!
Had the M’s taken Strasberg they may have screwed him up as they did to Brandon Maurer. HE”S A STARTER! NO, A CLOSER! NO, A SET UP GUY, NO A STARTER! And they took Maurer instead of home grown Tim (two Cy Young’s) Lincecum.
I think you mean Brandon Morrow. Although they did also have Maurer as well.
You are correct. I had the wrong 100 mph throwing Brandon.
Ackley may have been rushed to the bigs like Zunino was. Not enough minor league seasoning. Jack Z was trying to cover his butt, Jack Z looked a lot like Elmer Fudd but I suspect Fudd knows more about baseball
I think Jack Z looked more like Humpty Dumpty
Kind of a bummer to see this news.
Yeah so was he. 2nd highest.526 OBP on the team also had a higher Avg250 ,more rbi’s,runs than half of the starting team also had alot less AB’s.
Did you see his slugging percentage?
Did you see Gordon’s, Encarnacion’s Beckham’s,Healy list goes on. The real deal is in 18ab’s he was on 1st base 9 times.
For those interested in seeing Ackley’s College stats: thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=215
Seriously. How do you go from signing a guy, 2 months, 3 days and 18ABs later cut him?!?
The Mariners are a joke.
Jerry DiPoto will be the ruination of this team. I have yet to go to a game this year. They have traded most of my favorite players for prospects, including regaining the famous Juan Then today. He should consult his psychiatrist brother because he is manic. The clubhouse has no stability or consistency. Just a gruesome situation for a team that is “rebuilding.” Did someone hire him to destroy my team? CANO, SEGURA, PAXTON, ENCARNATION, ZUNINO (a good move), GAMEL, HEREDIA, and DIAZ!! Is he crazy or something? Diaz??