Ackley selected by Mariners with No. 2 pick

Dustin Ackley leaped from the No. 2 spot in North Carolina's batting order last night to the No. 2 selection overall in Major-League Baseball's first-year player draft.

The Seattle Mariners chose Ackley, the ACC player of the year and a Walnut Cove resident. Ackley, the Tar Heels' first baseman, was the first of only three position players taken in the first 12 picks, which were dominated by pitchers.

The Washington Nationals, as expected, used the No. 1 pick to take Stephen Strasburg, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher from San Diego State. The Mariners took Ackley minutes later, hopeful that his bat can do for their team what it has done for North Carolina the past three seasons.

Ackley said being selected No. 2 was exciting but also bittersweet, given that North Carolina's season is still under way and the team is preparing to play in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., starting this weekend.

"I was kind of expecting it toward the end," Ackley said by phone from Chapel Hill, where he watched the draft with his parents and teammates. "Before the season I had no idea where I might go, but leading up to the draft I had some sort of idea about where I'd be picked."

Ackley was the first of four North Carolina players or players with connections to the program to be taken in the first 15 selections. He is North Carolina's highest selection in the draft since 1992, when pitcher Paul Shuey was taken with the No. 2 pick by the Cleveland Indians.

Donovan Tate, a North Carolina football recruit from Cartersville, Ga., was chosen with the No. 3 pick by the San Diego Padres. Tate, a quarterback, is a center fielder in baseball.

Jacob Turner, a North Carolina baseball recruit from St. Charles, Mo., was taken No. 9 by the Detroit Tigers. Turner, a right-handed pitcher, signed with North Carolina in November 2008.

Starting pitcher Alex White of North Carolina was selected No. 15 by Cleveland. White, a junior right-hander, fell slightly in the draft after a late-season slump, and had been projected in mock drafts to be chosen anywhere from No. 5 to No. 11.

Ackley, a left-handed hitter, and White have helped the Tar Heels to a 47-16 record and a fourth consecutive berth in the College World Series. Ackley needed three seasons to establish himself as the top hitter in school history.

His .410 career batting average is the program's best ever. He is batting .412 this season and has never batted less than .402.

The Mariners are looking at Ackley as an outfielder. Ackley has played only a handful of games in the outfield in college but said he wouldn't mind changing positions in the pros.

"I'll play wherever they want me to play," Ackley said. "Whatever the best fit for me is, I'll play.

"I had an idea that they would project me as an outfielder. It didn't surprise me, really. I know nobody wants me as a first baseman."

Ackley holds North Carolina records with 338 hits, 225 runs and 535 total bases in 204 games. He can also hit for power; he has 39 career home runs, 22 this season.

Jack Zduriencik, Seattle's executive vice president and general manager, told the Major- League Baseball network last night that team officials are confident that Ackley will be on the team in a short amount of time.

Ackley's advisor is Scott Boras, a veteran baseball agent from California. Boras represents Strasburg. Some draft analysts have wondered if Boras will make excessive salary demands for both players and have raised the issue if Seattle will have a tough time signing Ackley.

Teams have until Aug 15 to sign their draft picks or will lose the draft rights.

"I'm not sure; I really haven't thought about any of that yet," Ackley said. "I'm kind of real excited about being picked right now. Nothing's really been talked about as far as business stuff. We're just kind of keeping that on the back burner right now and focusing on the College World Series."

Ackley said that he will return his attention to UNC's season today. The season could extend two more weeks, depending on how long UNC lasts in the CWS, which will start on Sunday with a game against Arizona State.

Ackley is looking forward to a long career in the major leagues, but he wants to win an NCAA Tournament title in his last college season.

"I'm just focusing on the College World Series," he said. "I'm not going to think about any of this draft stuff and things like that right now. I'm just going to kind of put that off and just focus on our team and winning the College World Series, which we've been trying to do for the last three years.

"That's the main thing I'm going to do from here: focus on our team and what we need to accomplish out there."

White has an 8-4 record this season and is 27-14 overall at North Carolina.

White was a 14th-round draft choice three years ago by the Los Angeles Dodgers coming out of Greenville Conley High School.

White said that he was elated to not have a long wait to hear his selection.

"It's a great opportunity, and I was extremely excited," White said in a prepared statement released by UNC. "I was with a lot of friends and family, and they were just as excited as I was. I'm looking forward to the opportunity when my time here is done, and it's a great honor to be a part of all these great players."

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.