Feel Good Story Watch

With the feel good stories of Josh Hamilton and to a much lesser extent Jesse Litsch, I have been waiting with baited breath for the next one to come along. This one might be it!

Rick Ankiel began his Major-League Career as a left-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. As a teenager he was both the High School Pitcher of the Year and the Minor League Player of the Year. At age 20, his first full year in the bigs, he won 11 games for the Cardinals, struck out over a man per inning, and logged an ERA a run below the league average. He possessed a mid-90s fastball and a devastating curve his future seemed so bright he should have been wearing shades.

Ankiel grabbed public attention in the fall of 2000 when he lost his ability to throw strikes. After posting a successful 11-7 record during the season, Ankiel suddenly lost control in a playoff game against the Atlanta Braves, throwing pitch after pitch over his catcher’s head and into the backstop. With no physical problems evident, it was presumed that Ankiel’s problems were psychological. Ankiel returned to the Cardinals in 2001 but his problems resumed, and he was sent to the minor leagues. After further struggles he abandoned pitching in 2005 and switched positions, signing a minor-league contract with the Cardinals as an outfielder. He missed the entire 2006 season with an injury, but was resigned for the 2007 season and is currently playing with the Memphis Redbirds of the Pacific Coast League (AAA).

Ankiel has almost completed his transformation into a power hitting outfielder, leading the PCL with 19 HR while sporting a respectable OPS of .932. He doesn’t walk very often (12)and strikes out a little too much (54)for my liking, but the transformation is nothing short of remarkable considering the short amount of time he has had to hone his craft, not even including his extensive injuries. At 27 years old, it seems that, if the Cardinals are serious about him as a hitter, his shot as a big league hitter has to come soon. The Cardinals offense ranks 27th in the league in Runs and 21st in HRs. Keep your eye out for an Ankiel callup sometime soon.