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Dustin Ackley, Nick Franklin and the Mariners Second Base Dilemma
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The general feeling around Seattle is that Jack Zduriencik could be going on a spending spree in an effort to get an extension on his contract. While the manager search will be an integral part of that rebuild, it is only the first of many decisions that the Mariners are going to need to make before April.
The infield is definitely shrouded in doubt, first base continues to be a toss-up as we wait for the Kendrys Morales saga to be resolved. Barring any big trades, Kyle Seager should be at third for the majority of 2014, but second and short will be questionable right up until Opening Day.
Both Nick Franklin and Brad Miller are going into their sophomore seasons and while initial results were encouraging, we all know what a disappointment those can be.
Dustin Ackley had a well-documented, albeit unexpected resurgence in 2013. It is no secret that Ackley flopped into the season before finding his swing again in Triple-A Tacoma. Upon his return to the big club, he was relegated to the outfield due to a strong showing from call-up Nick Franklin.
As we move into the off-season there are a lot of questions emerging about how Jack Z is going to restructure the team. The Mariners second base dilemma needs to be dealt with.
As I see it, there are a few different ways that the second base dilemma could be addressed during the winter.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Trade Ackley or Franklin
If it is Jack’s plan to put together a quick-but-competitive team, trading either Ackley or Franklin seems like a good place to start. As Sam pointed out last week, the Ackley/Franklin combo provides the Mariners with a lot of flexibility in terms of trade bait.
Its hard to determine who would fetch more return in a market value trade. While Ackley has that unfortunate smear of being demoted back to Tacoma last year, he was able to prove that he can be good. Both 2012 and the latter-half of 2013 were representative of what we expect from Dustin Ackley. His current contract has him making only $1.5 mil a year, so he isn’t a huge hit to anyone’s wallet, it could make him much easier to shop around at the winter meetings this year.
On the other hand, Franklin went into 2013 as one of the higher rated prospects within the Mariners organization. As a top-ten prospect, Franklin figures to be a part of a team rebuild, even if it isn’t in Seattle. The fact that he came up to the Mariners in May and played through to the end of the season gives him nearly a complete season of major league work.
In that time his triple slash of .225/.303/.382 proved he was at least capable of holding his own against major league pitching. Those numbers aren’t stellar by any stretch of the imagination, but they aren’t all bad either. The big slump that Franklin saw from August to September contributed greatly to those depressed stats. Prior to that he was mentioned in more than one Rookie of the Year conversation.
The problem with Franklin is that he only has one year of service in the majors, and (while good), there were still some stains. Some would call his mid-season slump worrisome and indicative of a sophomore jinx in the works. Even more concerning are his fielding skills. Franklin was charged with 12 errors in 2013, only three behind Kyle Seager (15) for the team lead. Granted, Seager is excused from making occasional errors if he can continue to hit 20+ HRs each season.
Verdict: If Jack is going to trade away for some big names, you can bet that one of these two will be a part of it. It’s unfortunate, but it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to keep two second basemen on the roster.
Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Ackley Goes Back to Second, Franklin Goes Back to Tacoma
Franklin could actually stay on with the Mariners as a bench player, he’s versatile enough to play either second or short in a pinch. And he had a good enough season to earn himself a spot in Seattle. Though if the Mariners do decide to stick Ackley back at second base, then it might be better to send Franklin down to Tacoma, just to keep his playing time up.
Given the season that Franklin showed us, this seems like a long-shot, but it is something to seriously consider.
Ackley saw action at second base 53 times this season. Over those 53 games Ackley committed exactly zero errors (over 231 chances he managed 81 putouts, 150 assists, and 30 double plays). Those numbers are nothing to take lightly, had he been able to keep his place in Seattle for the whole season, we most definitely would have heard his name in the mix for a Gold Glove.
As we all know, it’s not Ackley’s fielding that makes him questionable, it’s his streaky bat. Over the first 45 games with the Mariners, Ackley batted .205/.266/.250 and definitively earned a spot on the bus to Tacoma. Over each of those 45 games, Ackley started at second base (or came in as an offensive substitution). When he came back and moved to the outfield, Ackley turned things around batting .285/.354/.404 in 68 games as an outfielder.
You could say that Ackley simply plays better when he’s in the outfield, and you’d have some pretty solid evidence to back it up. But given the dramatic turnaround, I think that there could be something else going on. Maybe he just had a moment of enlightenment, maybe Rainiers hitting coach Howard Johnson re-tweaked his swing, or maybe he just got back in the groove. Any way you put it, something made him good, and I’m ok with it.
The way I look at it, Ackley could play pretty much anywhere. Defensively, he is very good at second. He’s also very good in the outfield. His 61 games in the outfield were defensively as good as his 53 at second. Ackley committed only one error while playing center, but still managed 134 putouts on 136 chances (.985 fielding percentage). 2013 Gold Glove Candidate Lorenzo Cain managed a barely-better fielding percentage of .990 with three fielding errors this year.
Defensively, you can put Ackley anywhere and he’ll contribute to a very good defensive roster. Putting him back at second base also opens up the possbility of Jack Z bringing in Jacoby Ellsbury. The Mariners aren’t exactly flush with big-name outfielders, but keeping a spot open for Ellsbury would make a lot of sense if that’s how they proceed.
Verdict: Moving Ackley back to second base frees up room in the outfield for a big-name signing, without giving up defensive ability. Moving Franklin to the bench or to Tacoma hurts because he looks to be MLB-ready, but keeping him available for depth gives the M’s some breathing room when injuries pop up.
Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Move Ackley to the Outfield, Keep Franklin at Second
Dustin Ackley was originally drafted as an outfielder. It was the Mariners who moved him to second base while he was coming through the minor league system. Did it work?
Somewhat.
But as it turns out, defense has never been Ackley’s problem. The biggest issue we all took with him is him is his seemingly streaky batting numbers. Without beating a dead horse, Ackley’s 2013 season began miserably, but it wasn’t because of his fielding skills, it was strictly his batting that put him on the chopping block. That’s why it didn’t really matter where he played when he came back.
If the Mariners don’t manage to score Ellsbury, or any other outfielders, then they’ll be left with Michael Saunders, Franklin Gutierrez, and maybe Raul Ibanez (if he comes back). There are others in the mix, but for the most part those will be the starting three. Ackley would fit right in with Saunders and Gutierrez for a regular starting three. Should Ibanez come back or if the M’s bring someone else into the active roster, things will get slightly more complicated.
On the other hand, moving Ackley to the outfield frees up Franklin to keep his spot in the major leagues, and keeps both him and Ackley in Seattle. Should they both continue to produce runs, then it would be best to keep both of them available. But if one (or both) of them fall into a slump, this would be decidedly bad.
Verdict: Pushing Ackley into the outfield is a good fallback position if the Mariners aren’t able to secure a big name like Ellsbury (wishful thinking?). I think this is the safest bet for the Mariners. Both of them have the potential to factor into a complete Mariners rebuild, so keeping both of them is a safe way to go. This way they also keep the ability to seek out a star player and shift the defensive lineup around to accommodate a new outfielder.
As Jack and company move forward this winter, this is going to be a volatile issue for the team, and will factor very strongly in team that the Mariners field next spring.