This is a pretty incredible story.
A few years back, Rick Ankiel was the next big thing as a young pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. All of a sudden, he flamed out. It was as much mental as it was physical. He made a couple of attempts to make it back to the big leagues as a pitcher before he quit pitching in 2005. He went back to the minor leagues, and developed into a power-hitting outfielder.
Fast-forward to 2007. Ankiel has been leading the Pacific Coast League in home runs, hitting 32 dingers for the Memphis Redbirds. He got called up to the big club this week. Tonight, he hit a three-run shot as the Cardinals beat San Diego, 5-0.
This is awesome stuff. It was a wild thing to watch his pitching career crash and burn almost overnight. It is even more incredible to watch him go back to the minor leagues, pick up another position, and get back to the bigs as a position player.
My hat is off to Rick Ankiel. Hopefully, he'll stay in the big leagues.
3 comments:
That is a great story. Maybe he could pull a Canseco some day and pitch a few when the bullpen is empty (without the injury part, though).
I don't think Rick Ankiel will want to touch the pitcher's mound with a ten-foot pole anymore.
As for Canseco, there was never a dull moment. He hit a lot of home runs, threw his arm out by pitching an inning or two, and wrote a tell-all book. But, I'll always remember him for the day he had a ball bounce off his head for a home run in Boston. What a guy.
That's what I think of first, too. That HR off the head.
The Hardline talked about Ankiel today (just a few minutes ago) and it was interesting the information they had. I'm not sure how true all of it is, but if it is ... well, bless this guys heart because he's had it rough. They talked about how the Cardinals pitching coach told him he wasn't allowed to help him and they touched on some of the issues his dad had. I hope this guy makes it.
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