Dustin Ackley Signs

It came down to the wire, but the Mariners got it done. Dustin Ackley is officially a Mariner. His contract looks like this:

$9.5 million, 5 year, big league contract. Even though it’s labeled as a 5 year contract, we still have him under club control for 6 years, as Dave so graciously explained over at USS Mariner.

So Ackley now takes over the role of being our top prospect, and he’s not that far off being major league ready. He probably won’t get a chance to play at all this year in minor league ball, but will in all likelihood start the 2010 season in either Everett or West Tennessee.

For those of you who don’t remember what type of player Dustin Ackley is, allow me. He’s 21 years old, hits left handed, and throws right handed. He’s spent most of his recent time with UNC at first base since recovering from Tommy John surgery, but it’s more likely that the Mariners see him as either an outfielder or a second baseman. He’s a very talented hitter with gap power, and projects to be a 20-25 HR, .300 batting average type guy in the big leagues. He can hold his own in the outfield, and still has a good arm, even after having TJ surgery.

We paid a lot for him, more than I was expecting, but he’s worth it. He’s a great hitter – one who will be able to impact this club as soon as late 2010 or early 2011. This was a good day, and a good draft for the Seattle Mariners. They were able to sign all of their first 15 picks, and 35 of their 52. Like many others over the last few months, today is a great day to be a Mariners fan.

Welcome to Seattle Mr. Ackley.

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