The Yankees wanted Ackley

[SeattleCoug]

The utility guy the Yankees actually wanted at the deadline | New York Post

The Yankees were targeting Ackley before settling on Martin Prado. The M's were asking for AAA pitcher Bryan Mitchell whom the Yanks wouldnt part with so that ended the talks

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

The utility guy the Yankees actually wanted at the deadline | New York Post

The Yankees were targeting Ackley before settling on Martin Prado. The M's were asking for AAA pitcher Bryan Mitchell whom the Yanks wouldnt part with so that ended the talks

If the Mariners traded Ackley to the Yankees right now it would a been beyond ridiculously stupid... He's actually starting to come around... They should lock him up long term because they can do it for cheaper right now...

 

[Msfann]

I'm not convinced that he's in anything more than a hot streak right now, I hope he has turned it around but we have seen hot streaks from him in the past too. I'm not saying that he hasn't changed, just that I don't quite fully believe it yet.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Ackley hit .290 in July - Sept last year. Who knows how long he will keep hitting well.

 

[PolarVortex]

If the Mariners traded Ackley to the Yankees right now it would a been beyond ridiculously stupid... He's actually starting to come around... They should lock him up long term because they can do it for cheaper right now...

How many times has he been 'coming around'? Next June he will be hitting .210. The Ackley era needs to end in Seattle.

 

[seattle]

I don't think Ackley is the only problem. Look at Miller .199, Hart .201, Zunino .211. I like Zunino but is way to inconsistent. Anyone ever think its the hitting coach. I understand players go in slumps but for the whole season

 

[PolarVortex]

I don't think Ackley is the only problem. Look at Miller .199, Hart .201, Zunino .211. I like Zunino but is way to inconsistent. Anyone ever think its the hitting coach. I understand players go in slumps but for the whole season

I don't think anyone is suggesting that the offensive woes of the entire team team fall on Ackely's shoulders. Obviously there are other holes in the lineup (catcher, first base, shortstop, right field, center field). But Ackley has certainly been part of the overall problem for the last three seasons.

I don't blame the hitting coach. The offense on this team has sucked for six years - since 2009. You can't blame six years of failure on the hitting coaches.

 

[dude82]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that the offensive woes of the entire team team fall on Ackely's shoulders. Obviously there are other holes in the lineup (catcher, first base, shortstop, right field, center field). But Ackley has certainly been part of the overall problem for the last three seasons.

I don't blame the hitting coach. The offense on this team has sucked for six years - since 2009. You can't blame six years of failure on the hitting coaches.

The M's have had 5 different hitting coaches since 2009. Since Lou left after the 2002 season, they've had 10 different hitting coaches. Only two of those coaches were around for more than a year with Pentland sticking around the longest at 2+ seasons. In Lou's decade as manager, the M's employed 4 different hitting coaches.

Not to totally absolve guys like Ackley and Smoak of all of their responsibility in how they've played, but how do you expect young hitters to receive a consistent message and maintain a consistent approach when you're going through hitting coaches at a rate of just over one a year? We're going through hitting coaches now the way we went through pitching coaches during Lou's time (until Bryan Price arrived anyway) and the pitching suffered for it then the way that the hitting is suffering for it now. These young players have lacked consistent leadership and teaching, so of course their performance is going to suffer for it. So, in a sense, you can blame the hitting coach (and the manager and the front office).

 

[Thisnamewasntaken]

If we had sent over Ackley he would have magically became an All-Star. Lol

 

[wazzu31]

The M's have had 5 different hitting coaches since 2009. Since Lou left after the 2002 season, they've had 10 different hitting coaches. Only two of those coaches were around for more than a year with Pentland sticking around the longest at 2+ seasons. In Lou's decade as manager, the M's employed 4 different hitting coaches.

Not to totally absolve guys like Ackley and Smoak of all of their responsibility in how they've played, but how do you expect young hitters to receive a consistent message and maintain a consistent approach when you're going through hitting coaches at a rate of just over one a year? We're going through hitting coaches now the way we went through pitching coaches during Lou's time (until Bryan Price arrived anyway) and the pitching suffered for it then the way that the hitting is suffering for it now. These young players have lacked consistent leadership and teaching, so of course their performance is going to suffer for it. So, in a sense, you can blame the hitting coach (and the manager and the front office).

It is hard putting the blame on any hitting coach. Hitting coach's are becoming obsolete in the majors. Hitting is becoming much like golf where players have their own hitting coach in the offseason. Hitting coach's and pitching coach's are always the "fall guys" by the organization when things are going wrong.

Ackley's main problem has been confidence. IMO, he hasn't had to change a thing about his swing or stance it's just the mental aspect of hitting.

 

[dude82]

It is hard putting the blame on any hitting coach. Hitting coach's are becoming obsolete in the majors. Hitting is becoming much like golf where players have their own hitting coach in the offseason. Hitting coach's and pitching coach's are always the "fall guys" by the organization when things are going wrong.

Ackley's main problem has been confidence. IMO, he hasn't had to change a thing about his swing or stance it's just the mental aspect of hitting.

It's true that a lot of guys have their own personal hitting coaches or just guys that they can talk to about hitting and it can be a positive thing or a negative thing. A personal hitting coach can devote more one-on-one time to a specific player than a team's hitting coach can, so more work can go into fixing the problem that the hitter is having without the coach having to worry about fixing a bunch of other guys too. They can also take what the team's hitting coach has been saying and teaching and either add to it or put a different spin on it to help the hitter improve. The biggest negative with having a personal hitting coach is that a player can sometimes get too much advice or get conflicting advice and get themselves even more screwed up than they were before. Obviously that's less of a problem if the team's hitting coach and the player's hitting coach are on the same page in terms of what needs to be done to help the player, but if they're not on the same page, it can be a disaster.

 

[wazzu31]

It's true that a lot of guys have their own personal hitting coaches or just guys that they can talk to about hitting and it can be a positive thing or a negative thing. A personal hitting coach can devote more one-on-one time to a specific player than a team's hitting coach can, so more work can go into fixing the problem that the hitter is having without the coach having to worry about fixing a bunch of other guys too. They can also take what the team's hitting coach has been saying and teaching and either add to it or put a different spin on it to help the hitter improve. The biggest negative with having a personal hitting coach is that a player can sometimes get too much advice or get conflicting advice and get themselves even more screwed up than they were before. Obviously that's less of a problem if the team's hitting coach and the player's hitting coach are on the same page in terms of what needs to be done to help the player, but if they're not on the same page, it can be a disaster.

Agreed 100% just saying that I wouldn't blame the Mariners hitting coach's for his history of struggles. Teams fire pitching and hitting coach's all the time in which 95% of the time there wasn't anything they could have done more. Baseball isn't football or basketball where a coach can out scheme another coach. There is much more personal accountability in baseball.

 

[gohusk]

Jesus. It would have been just like us to make that trade. As disappointing as he's been, he's one of our hottest hitters right now and we have to roll with him.

 

[seahawksfan234]

It will be interesting to see how long Ackley continues hitting.

 

[Podunkparte]

It will be interesting to see how long Ackley continues hitting.

True.

The encouraging thing right now is that even his outs are hit well. He's had a few shots caught on the LF warning track lately. We haven't seen him drive the ball the other way for a long time.