Seattle Mariners Call Up Top Prospect Dustin Ackley

The Seattle Mariners called up 23-year old second baseman Dustin Ackley today, according to the Mariners twitter feed. Ackley was ranked as the pre-season number 12 prospect by Baseball America.The Mariners selected Ackley as the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, behind Stephen Strasburg. Ackley was sent directly to AA in 2010, where he only spent half of the year. He was promoted to AAA in June of that same year.

Ackley was drafted as a center fielder, but the Mariners switched him to second base and the reviews on his defense have been mixed. Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus believes Ackley will be able to play an average second base, while Keith Law states that "no one is buying [Ackley] as a second baseman anymore, and I believe he'll end up in left field."

Not many doubt his ability to hit, though. He should be a huge offensive upgrade at second base over Jack Wilson (.577 OPS) and Adam Kennedy (.808 OPS), with the ability to hit for a .300 average every year. However, he doesn't have great power and may struggle to break the 20-home run plateau.

The move will be official on Thursday and Ackley will report to the team on Friday. Luis Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.