WRAL Sports Fan

Where are UNC's 2009 MLB draftees now?

By Tim Hall
Jun 8, 2010

Make that two consecutive years that North Carolina has had a player taken in the Top 10 in the MLB draft. On Monday righty Matt Harvey was selected No. 7 overall by the New York Mets. He should come away with a nice little pay day.

Last season, slugger Dustin Ackley was the first player not named Stephen Strasburg taken in the draft (No. 2 overall to Seattle). His college teammate Alex White was also taken in the first round, 15th overall by Cleveland.

It's been a full year, so what are those guys doing now?

Ackley signed a big league deal last August for nearly $7.5 million. He went to the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League. He was named one of the rising stars of the league last November. This season he debuted with the AA West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx of the Southern League. Through 50 games he is hitting .251 with just 1 home run and 18 RBI. Not quite the numbers he put up his final year at UNC.

Alex White (signed with Cleveland for $2.25 million last August) isn't looking that bad on the mound. His first season in the minors in 2010 has sent him to two different clubs - one of them right down the road.

Overall White is 4-4 with a 2.53 ERA on the season through 11 starts in class A and AA. He started the season with the Kinston Indians where he went 2-3 with a 2.86 ERA in eight starts. He is 2-1 with 1.86 ERA in three starts with the AA Akron Aeros.

It looks like White and Ackley are both on track in the early stages of their baseball careers. Ackley has been hitting better as of late. And one of his biggest knocks was his lack of size for a first basemen. But he's currently being used as a second baseman.