I/O:  Our sister site debating whether Ackley should be ripping up AA yet.

Crunch:  Just as one example to illustrate the point, look at the #2 overall of the 2008 draft, Pedro Alvarez.  Alvarez is another bats-left, throws-right NCAA monster, albeit not given credit for Ackley's talent level.

Alvarez hit .217 in his first month as a pro -- starting in the low minors, not in the high minors where Dustin Ackley is.  He hit .270 in May and then .217 in June.  He had line drive %'s around 6% the whole time.

In the heat of the summer, June-July, he ran an EYE of 18:52 (in part because of a promotion to AA).

But!  In August, he acclimated.  His EYE suddenly transmogrified to 1:1, and he hit 7 homers that month with an OBP of .485.

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The adjustment from college pitching to A+ baseball, isn't.  The adjustment to playing every day, without the 4x sweet spot of a metal bat, is.  Dustin Ackley now has to hit the baseball with a different part of the bat, and he doesn't get to focus himself on three games a week.

Ackley's April-May start means zero.  I'm guessing that most ex-NCAA, current-ML stars were less than impressive in their first 1-2 months out of the NCAA.

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One more illustrative example, Ryan Braun was the #5 overall in the 2005 draft.  His first full season in the minors, at high-A, he had already gotten acclimated to low-minors baseball and wood bats, but was mediocre in A+.  The Brew promptly moved him up to AA despite the mediocre stats.  Braun promptly demolished AA.

It could easily occur that Dustin Ackley could be hitting .249 when he's promoted, a la Matt Tuiasosopo, and then hit .370 at Cheney.  This happens all the time, promoting a guy with cruddy stats, everybody wonders why.   

And then the next time around, we'll forget again.  :- )   Minors guys, they're watching the process, not the results.

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=== UPDATES ===

Michael Pineda in eight starts, has 54 strikeouts, 11 walks, 1 homer allowed and one very frustrated Pierce County blogger who would attend 20% of all Rainiers games if the M's weren't so loathe to displace Garrett Olson.  No word on whether Pineda's 2 HBP's resulted in helicopter charges against his paycheck.

Mauricio Robles has 51 strikeouts in 45 innings, and SSI is stunned that AA umps have only called 25 walks against his curve ball.  It's where the ball crosses the front of the plate, blue, so ignore the catcher leaving his feet to go after the pitch.

Steven Hensley is running a 1+ ERA, which is kind of a tough way for AA kids to catch a weak link.

Mike Singletary, er, Wilson is back and mashing.  Remember when the 250-lb'er hit 8 homers in spring 2009 and was the 26th man on the roster?  He's hitting .290/.400/.585 -- though cooled off the last 10 days -- and is slugging a hard .575 against *right* hand pitching.  

On a short list of M's minor leaguers who might conceivably help the current team, Wilson makes you wonder.

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Cheers,

Dr D

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