John Ackley

John Douglas Ackley

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• High School Mahopac High School

• Born August 24, 1961 in Mount Kisco, NY USA

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Biographical Information

John Ackley played 7 seasons in the minors, reaching AAA. His son Dustin Ackley was the #2 pick of the 2009 amateur draft and reached the majors in 2011.

John Ackley was picked in the third round of the 1979 amateur draft, taken by the Boston Red Sox. He debuted as a pro with the Elmira Pioneers that year, hitting .196/.400/.294, as plate discipline was his forte. In 1980, he returned to Elmira to bat .222/.363/.454 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI in 108 AB.

Ackley was 2 for 9 for the 1981 Winston-Salem Red Sox. In '82, John batted .252/.361/.454 for Winston-Salem, blasting 15 home runs. The guy he split catching duties with, Dave Malpeso, won All-Star honors in the Carolina League that year.

Ackley spent a third year with the Winston-Salem Red Sox, 1983, hitting at a .282/.379/.475 clip with 45 walks, 13 homers, 44 runs and 44 RBI in 90 games. He fielded .988, almost leading the league's catchers (.002 behind Greg Olson).

In 1984, John made it to AA with the New Britain Red Sox but struggled, with a batting line of .196/.276/.309 in 88 games. He split 1985 between New Britain (.267/~.358/.417 in 41 G as a backup to John Marzano) and the Pawtucket Red Sox (.256/~.293/.333 in his only 13 games at AAA). Just 24 years old at season's end, his career was over.

Sources: 1980-1985 Baseball Guides, 1986 Baseball America Statistics Report