Mariners notebook: Mike Blowers on what’s next for Dustin Ackley

Mariners broadcaster Mike Blowers joined “Brock and Salk” on 710 ESPN Seattle Wednesday morning and shared his thoughts on a number of Mariners topics, including what should be next for outfielder Dustin Ackley. Blowers believes Ackley came out of the 2014 season with a good understanding of who is and who he should be at the plate and believes Ackley should progress next season.

“I don’t think Dustin is a guy who is going to be a 20-home-run guy,” he said. “I think his strength is his speed, and hopefully the ability to hit for an average. We’ve seen these glimpses from him and I think he is a guy that can be more consistent.”

Blowers believes Ackley has the tools and most importantly the experience to put it all together.

“I think Dustin’s hand-eye coordination is excellent and I think he needs to be more aggressive, and when he is aggressive – and we saw that at times last year – he will use the entire ballpark. And he can sting the ball. The ball jumps off his bat. I think he is more a line drive, gap-to-gap guy, and I think that with his speed he can provide some things to this club that would be helpful, and I think that’s the next step for him. And he’s aware of that. If you have watched him and listened to him, he knows what he needs to do and there’s a great incentive right in front of him now to go make that happen.”

Blowers also pointed to health as being a factor in Ackley’s potential success. If Ackley can stay healthy for an entire season, Blowers believes he can be an impact bat in the lineup.

“I think if you look at him and what he did last year, there are a couple of months that hurt him badly, but when he is productive – and last year we saw it for for a long period of time – he can make a difference in the lineup,” Blowers said. “Especially at the top of the lineup.”

Why M’s weren’t all-in on Tomas

It would appear the Diamondbacks have landed Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas. If true – and Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com has been all over this story from start to finish – he comes in at number far shy of the $100 million he was seeking. Six years and $68.5 million for an average of $11.4 million.

So why Arizona and not Seattle, you may ask? I think the Mariners have been rather lukewarm on him for some time. They may have liked what they saw from Tomas but not enough to mitigate the risk. As I said earlier in the offseason, I think it was probably too much of a risk for most teams in win-now mode. You think you know what any prospect is before they reach the majors, but there are no guarantees. You know even less about a Cuban player, regardless of the recent success of a handful of them.

Chances are he is something. But there is also a chance he will need time to adjust to major-league pitching, and that is a gamble for a win-now team. A year ago I was all-in on Jose Abreu and the risk. This year I was not so sure. In the end I would have been excited if the Mariners had signed Tomas, but I understand why they would not.

I don’t think I see this as the Mariners missing out on Tomas as I don’t believe he was ever a serious target. I could be wrong, but I have heard his name far less than others. Nelson Cruz and Matt Kemp still appear to be at the top of their list with Victor Martinez off the board.

What might Cespedes be worth to M’s?

Dave Cameron had an interesting trade proposal on FOXSports.com – a way to acquire Yoenis Cespedes without giving up Hisashi Iwakuma. It would involve sending Danny Hultzen to the Nationals. Before you yell “sell”, let me point out that I have talked to people who saw Hultzen and one person who even faced him before he was shut down for the winter, and while there are no guarantees coming back from shoulder injuries, I am cautiously optimistic that he can contribute to the point where I would have a hard time making this deal.

Too attached to prospects? Probably, but I also have to wonder if Cespedes is the right target. There are a number of concerns that have been voiced, but one I haven’t heard yet is his numbers at Safeco Field. The sample size is small but concerning. Go to Baseball-Reference.com and check it out. Yep, I am not linking it because I think the exercise would be good for some of you. Thoughts?

Lastly, a happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I am very thankful for the Mariners community that has developed here, even on your bad days!

Related

Salk: What’s enlightening about Seahawks going into this seasonSeahawks QB Sam Darnold makes big climb in NFL Top 1003 reasons why Brock likes Seahawks’ Terrion Arnold signingWyman & Bob react to Seahawks’ Terrion Arnold signingWhy Brock says UW Huskies will be ‘very relevant’ in CFP conversationMariners Injury Updates: Vargas’ rehab, notes on J.P. and more