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I'd have to go A- with a pleasantly surprised attached. Figured he could hit but he's looked very comfortable at second, smart base runner and knows the stirke zone. I think down the road Ackley will show some sneaky power. Nice to see someone that knows how to play the game at such a young age.

Starting slow everywhere else along his road to the Show, his .300 average through his first 9 games is a pleasant sight. I agree, everything's gravy on defense. I would have liked to have seen what caused some (not all) scouts to consider LF his future position. He looks comfortable and is making plays, with an entire city gasping everytime he comes to the plate or fields a grounder. Aggressive baserunner, too. 'A' all the way for me.

I'll say it right now. Ackley is going to be a star in this league. What I like about him is his temperament. He seems unflappable. Kind of like Ryne Sandburg in that way (an old Chicagoan am I). I see a career .300+ hitter, 15-20 homer guy, a few more on a good year. Clutch hitter, too. Just my guess. We're going to love this guy more and more over time.

I'm not sure if he's our perennial 2nd or 3rd hitter yet. It's close. It depends upon how his power manifests itself.

PS> I had been dreaming of Ackley, Rendon, and Smoak as either our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, or 3rd, 4th, and 5th hitters for years to come.

Yeah, an easy 'A-'. What more can the kid do? He has a great approach at the plate, good speed, decent power, good awareness, and his defense has been perfectly competent. I'm used to seeing our rookies come up and look overmatched. Ackley simply looks like he belongs.

A-, i think that the good start he had really helped him, not everybody responds this well to those big expectations.