and gluts have a way of turning into droughts before you know it.

See Clint Nageotte, Travis Blackley, Joel Pineiro, and company…

Very happy with Ackley, and I can’t wait till we see him patrolling the outfield in Safeco. Patient lefty hitters who make good contact are valuable in any organization, especially if they have plus defensive capabilities and their home stadium has a short right field porch….

Not saying he should not play CF… I’m saying he can play a little of both… If he can hold up at 2B it might be a good thing…

It sure would be nice to have another premium defense place to put him when he is ready if Franklin G. is still running everything in sight down… especially if it fills a huge weakness at 2B

What pick would the Mariners get if they failed to sign Mr. Ackley? Any chance they could snag Bryce Harper next year?

Harper is in the 2011 class (though it’s possible he’ll go for his GED this summer and enroll in a JC in the fall to make himself eligible for ’10). The kid is an amazing hitter but I for one certainly hope the M’s do so well in 2010 that they’re way out of the running for the top pick in the 2011 draft; as for 2010, the Nationals seem to have the #1 pick locked up for the foreseeable future.

Also, if his arm is CF ready I would think that they would have played him in CF more in college to take advantage of his speed…

Assuming they didn’t already have a good defensive CF. I recall reading an interview with him where he said he stayed at 1B to “help the team” (rather than learning a position on the fly while contending).

I’m not worried about having a glut of talented LH outfielders. That’s a good problem to have, and gluts have a way of turning into droughts before you know it.

Understanding that, just was curious your thought ideal position for Ackley. Plus the Ichiro, Cameron, Winn outfield educated as well.

Thank you for your patronizing response (x3)…

I am not saying 2B is the only option but it might not hurt to be open minded and take a look and see if he fits there…

I realize that(CF>2B) in a vacuum… but in seattle’s case we currently have an excellent CF option and I would say 2B is an obvious hole… Putting him at a corner outfield spot is not better than putting him at 2B… Plus outfield depth is a strength of our farm system

It wouldn’t be the first time a team with a talented prospect finds a way to make a plus bat fit into the existing lineup…

But as it stands now he needs to sign and we have about a year and half to solve our 2B problem… but its not that far off… and 2B could be a really great place for him…

And I can think of an outfielder coming back from TJ surgery (Xavier Nady) who reinjured his shoulder… although I believe it was swinging… which is why I wonder what the track record is for TJ surgery OF’s…

What is best case?

Once he is signed I would still like to see how he handles 2B… If he is just average defensively it would be great with his lefthanded plus bat.

CF is more valuable than 2B. CF is more valuable than 2B. CF is more valuable than 2B. Please keep this in mind when suggesting moving him.

CF is more valuable than 2B.

What is the track record of outfielders coming back from TJ surgery?

Well, if pitchers can come back from it, then I imagine outfielders might have an outside shot at recovering from it too. But that’s just a guess.