Safe at second: Ackley comfortable at keystone

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Over the course of his 24 years, Dustin Ackley has played every position on a baseball field. He was a catcher when he was 11 and 12. He pitched as a kid as well, enough so that by the time he reached college at North Carolina, he needed Tommy John surgery to repair an elbow that never recovered from his high school glory days.

Ackley played first base his final year at North Carolina in deference to the recovering elbow, but he was drafted by the Mariners as an outfielder, given his athleticism and success there earlier in his college career.

As the star athlete on his youth teams, he'd been asked to play shortstop and third base over the years as well.

The one position he'd never tried? That would be second base, of course, the spot where the Mariners shifted him shortly after he entered the organization as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 Draft.

But the versatile Ackley is finally feeling at home in his new home. So much so that he says he's hitting the ball much better this spring because he's had more time to focus on that part of his game, rather than worrying about learning a new defensive position.

And, yeah, it's reached the point where if you ask Ackley where he belongs on the field, he'd list second base.

"I definitely feel more comfortable there now than I would playing any other position," he said. "Second base was the last spot I hadn't played, but I've never played any one long enough to where I felt like, 'OK, that is my position.' But I've been playing second base going on three years now, and that feels natural to me now."

That is good news for the Mariners, because a comfortable Ackley could be a more productive Ackley. And without question, the youngster from Winston-Salem, N.C., is a huge part of the club's offensive hopes as a smooth-hitting left-hander who can hit for average and be a run producer as well.

"I'm real excited for this season," Ackley said. "I feel real confident this year, just how my body and my swing and defense feel. This is the best I've felt in a long time, so I'm hoping to continue that for the start of the season and just kind of carry it through the whole year."

Last season, Ackley was called up from Triple-A Tacoma in mid-June and immediately became one of the Mariners' best hitters. Despite a final-month slump when he was battling a sore leg, he hit .273 with 16 doubles, seven triples and six home runs in 90 games.

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Safe at second: Ackley comfortable at keystone