Player in the Spotlight: Rick Ankielby Daniel PaullingMarch 10, 2005 Name:
Rick Ankiel
Ankiel was drafted in the second round of the 1997 draft out of High School with a $2.5 million signing bonus. The lefty had a nine win season at Prince William with over a strikeout an inning. The same year he moved up to High A Peoria, where the domination continued, over a K an inning. The Cardinals moved him to the AA Arkansas in 1999 and, again, over a strikeout an inning with a very gaudy ERA. His call up to Memphis was more of the same: domination. The Cardinals then brought him up to the Major Leagues as a 20 year old and gave him 5 starts. He pitched quite well, and still kept up his domination: over one strikeout per inning. The Red Birds then gave Ankiel a starting job in 2000 full time and he was impressive to say the least. He pitched 175 great innings with, AGAIN, over one strikeout per inning. He pitched so brilliantly that season, Ankiel, not Darryl Kile or Andy Benes, was given a game 1 start in the NLCS versus the Atlanta Braves and Greg Maddux. This was the beginning of the end. Uncharacteristically, Maddux gave up six early runs to the Cardinal offense; Ankiel cruised through the first two innings. But in the third inning, the wheels fell off the bus. Ankiel retired only two hitters of the eight he faced in the third, allowing four runs. The biggest number of them all was five, as in five wild pitches. As a Braves fan, it was enjoyable to see pitches missing the strike zone, but not after five. The Cardinals managed to sweep the Braves, despite Ankiel’s problems. And then things got really bad for the youngster. He was given a game two start against the Mets desperately needing to get back onto the horse. And he failed once again. Ankiel lasted two thirds of an inning, walking three hitters, allowing a double, and launching two more wild pitches. In a final move of foolishness, manager Tony LaRussa sent Ankiel to pitch in game five in relief. Two thirds of an inning, one run scored, and two more wild pitches. The New York fans let the kid have it and the season was over after this game. When the Cardinals returned to Spring Training the next season, the media swarmed around Rick Ankiel. The pressure was mounting on him to perform and perform well, and he definitely didn’t. Ankiel, in the spring, had six starts with a 7.13 ERA and 25 walks in 24 innings. The Cardinals sent him down to AAA, but his story had almost just begun. The Red Birds sent Ankiel down to Johnson City, Tennessee, to their rookie league ball club. He completely dominated at that level, both offensively and pitching wise. The Johnson City Cardinals would use Ankiel as their DH on days he wasn’t starting. I managed to see Ankiel start there and he was dominating, pitching the third complete game of his career up to that point. And then
the 2002 season hit Rick Ankiel. In it he had elbow surgery, just
another detour in his career. He didn’t throw a single pitch
that year; he just waited for his elbow to get better, which probably
helped him a little mentally. In 2003 he was used out of the bullpen
in AA, which was not a very good move, as it was a role he was not
used to. His ERA was 6.29, BUT STILL over a strikeout per inning.
In 2004, he moved down to A Ball for three starts (nine innings
total), AA ball for two starts (nine total innings), AAA ball for
one start (six innings total), and then hit the Major Leagues to
the tune of a 5.40 ERA in five relief appearances (10 innings total). "This whole time, the frustration that built up, it seems like it was really eroding my spirit and starting to affect my personality off the field as well," Ankiel said. "It just became apparent that it was time for me to move on and pursue becoming an outfielder. I feel relieved now and I'm happy to move on. "I've always enjoyed playing outfield and I've definitely enjoyed hitting," Ankiel said. "Hopefully, I can pick up as much as I can being around some of these guys and spending more time with them in the cage." The left hander has received nothing but support from his fellow Cardinals. "It can't be any more difficult than what he's been going through," center fielder Jim Edmonds said. "He's been through a lot." "We are fully supportive of Rick's decision to convert to an everyday outfielder," Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty said. "Rick will continue to train with the major league club this spring, and we look forward to seeing his development as a full-time batter and outfielder." The story
of Rick Ankiel has had many detours and we all pray that this was
the last one. Mr. Ankiel, I hope that you will succeed in the outfield
for many years to come, because our game needs a comeback story
like yours. Feel free to leave comments in the forums or e-mail Daniel at daniel@athomeplate.com. |
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