Rick Ankiel called back up to the bigs and starts in right field

[T Park]

and just hit a 3 run homer.

aint a dry eye in our house, nor Busch Stadium.

If you know his story, you'd know why.


Got a standing O after it. Curtain Call. Going out to right field for the next inning, standing O.


Go Rick Ankiel :)

[MajorMike]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070810/capt.04ce6e718af848f0b83212ed8e5fb6bb.padres_cardi nals_baseball_motg113.jpghttp://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070810/capt.3ecb4ca889f34bb6a4da1ee4521f28d7.padres_cardi nals_baseball_motg115.jpghttp://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070810/capt.da8feb834e4b4a0782f6d0c9f343dbc6.padres_cardi nals_baseball_motg116.jpg

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Everybody in baseball hopes Scott Spiezio kicks his red-beard dye habit and rejoins the team soon.

[T Park]

:rolleyes

I hope Spezer gets his problems fixed.

[BeerIsGood!]

Does this mean we may get to see Ankiel catch a pop fly in right with a runner tagging and then proceed to fire a rifle shot 10 rows into the stands?

[Obstructed_View]

and just hit a 3 run homer.

aint a dry eye in our house, nor Busch Stadium.

If you know his story, you'd know why.


Got a standing O after it. Curtain Call. Going out to right field for the next inning, standing O.


Go Rick Ankiel :)
I hate major league baseball, but that's an awesome story. Good for him.

[K-State Spur]

it's a nice story. he may stick in the bigs as a hitter. he'll hit some HRs, but with a low average and a very low OBP.

[slayermin]

From what I recall, he was a good hitter before this call up.

Kudos to Ankiel for his great perseverance. Hope he sticks.

[samikeyp]

:tu

[whottt]

it's a nice story. he may stick in the bigs as a hitter. he'll hit some HRs, but with a low average and a very low OBP.



And I don't think you have any kind of factual basis for that statement at all...

Little league through highschool, the pitcher is usually the best athlete on the team in just about every facet of the game....

It's not until college that they stop being able to hit...and it's not always true in college either.


Babe Ruth was a pitcher.
Mark McGwire was a pitcher in college.
Lots of pitchers could hit at one time...

The statement pitchers can't hit isn't usually true until late in college and the majors...and that's primarily because they focus on pitching and not hitting.

Pitchers don't become pitchers because they can't hit...they become pitchers because guys that have the athletic ability to throw both hard and accurately are among the scarcest talents there are.

Additionally...because they are pitchers and have a knowledge of the strike zone...I'd say that you are way way off on the low OBP statement...and the history of pitchers becoming hitters in MLB completely smashes that statement to smithereens...like I said...Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire.

[whottt]

Ankiel steps into the outfield and instantly has one of the strongest outfield arms in all of baseball....pitchers have the strongest arms in baseball.

The reason you don't see more pitchers becoming hitters is because if they can throw in any way shape or form the club wants them to stay pitchers......if a player is talented, particularly if he has a nice arm...the clubs will try to make them a pitcher before they try to make them a position player...unless they are a guy with just some incredible hitting potential.


Pitching is the scarce skill...that's why so rarely do you see a club try to turn a pitcher into a hitter...and you see them trying to turn hitters into pitchers a lot more often.

And if they can even throw junk at the plate with a fair amount of accuracy the club will want them to stay pitching...you have to be one hell of a great hitter for them to consider converting you from pitching to hitting...Ankiel is a special case....a really unsual case...a guy with a fantastic arm who has a mental block, and won't be pitching, it's really unsual for a guy with his kind of arm to make this switch simpley because they clubs don't want to give up on pitching...don't assume this guy can't hit just because you don't see a pitcher becoming a hitter very often...most of them could at one time, and the reason they stop is because pitching is the most valued talent and aspect of the game by 100% of the big league clubs.

There haven't been too many pitcher to failed hitter conversions...I can't think of any of the top of my head.

[whottt]

Just the fact that this guy was a pitcher who just homered in his first game as a MLB hitter should tell you a lot.

I looked up what he was doing in the minor leagues...sure enough, he was leading his league in HR...this is after hitting being an afterthought to him probably since he was 17 years old aside from the last 2 years.

This guys is probably going to be a great outfielder as the other aspects of the game come back to him after a 10 year layoff...

Then again...he got a mental block about his pitching, no one really understands why, and there's no gurantee he won't develop another.

[MajorMike]

How cool is that? I mean, it's Rick Ankiel, the one-time fresh-faced phenom with the jaw-dropping curveball and blistering fastball. Rick Ankiel, the coulda-been-greatest lefthanded pitcher the Cardinals ever had. Rick Ankiel, the guy with a bulldog mentality and fragile psyche. Rick Ankiel, the cautionary tale. Rick Ankiel, the pitcher-turned-hitter.

Rick Ankiel, the major league outfielder.

I'm not going to compare this comeback story to the crummy things we sports fans have had to deal with the past few months. You know all about Mike Vick, Tim Donaghy and Barry Bonds. You also know all about Ankiel's struggles. If you need a refresher, this is a good read.

That 2000 playoff game was one of the most painful things I've ever watched. Even now, thinking about it starts twisting that knot in my stomach. Every pitch that went to the backstop, every look of helplessness on his face just was gut-wrenching. But, being a glutton for punishment, I tried to find the video of Game 1 while sitting in the press box at Busch Stadium on Thursday afternoon, thinking some sadistic person surely had the whole painful playoff sequence ready and cued up for the night Ankiel made his "debut." I Googled it. I YouTube'd it.

Nothing.

I found a 4-minute documentary on Ankiel's struggles, but it pretty much focused on one spring training game. Not what I was looking for.

Probably a good thing.

So I went down to the field to watch Ankiel take batting practice in Busch for the first time in forever. He hopped into the cage each and every turn, hitting between Ryan Ludwick and So Taguchi. He's a different guy now. The hair with the blond highlights has disappeared, along with the No. 66 he wore during that infamous outing and the No. 49 he donned in seasons after that. His hair is cropped short, his uniform number is 24. Feels odd.

He stood in the cage with his hands in tight to his body, reminiscent of the way he cupped his glove tightly against his right wrist when he was, at times, the most untouchable pitcher in baseball. Ankiel fouled off a ton of pitches in BP. Not the kind of foul balls that go straight back, the ones the hitter barely missed squaring up. These were the kind that hit the top of the cage or were tipped off toward third base. The kind of fouls I would hit if I stood in against an Alan Benes batting-practice fastball. Maybe he was just nervous. I'm sure he was.

But on his final swing, he laced a line drive into the gap in left-center. A good, solid, balanced swing, a swing that put a smile on his face as he signed a bunch of autographs for kids before he retreated back into the clubhouse to prepare for his first game in the big leagues since 2004. This time around, he was hitting second in the lineup -- the lineup card read Eckstein, then Ankiel, then Pujols -- and playing right field.

He got a standing ovation before his first at-bat. Not unexpected, but still pretty cool. San Diego's starter, though, was Chris Young, the 6-10 righthander who leads the majors in ERA and has held opponents to a .184 batting average this year. Ankiel popped up on an 0-1 pitch to shortstop Khalil Greene in his first at-bat. He struck out looking in his second at-bat, swinging in his third. Just one good swing in those three trips to the plate, a fastball he fouled straight back, the kind he just missed squaring up.

Storybook, schmorybook, right? This is the big leagues, kid. Who cares how many homers you hit at Memphis?

Then, wow.

Just, wow.

With the Cards up, 2-0, and two on and two out in the seventh inning, Ankiel stepped to the plate against Doug Brocail. First base was open, but no way the Padres were scared of pitching to Ankiel. Then, with one flick of the bat, a nice, easy, balanced swing, he sent a fly ball screaming toward the right field stands. I thought the same thing everyone in the stadium thought: "No way he just did that ..."

But the ball landed over the wall, 384 feet from home plate, and Ankiel pumped his fist as he sprinted around the bases with the Cardinals ahead, 5-0. Holy cow.

Welcome back, Rick.

[K-State Spur]

And I don't think you have any kind of factual basis for that statement at all...

Little league through highschool, the pitcher is usually the best athlete on the team in just about every facet of the game....

It's not until college that they stop being able to hit...and it's not always true in college either.


Babe Ruth was a pitcher.
Mark McGwire was a pitcher in college.
Lots of pitchers could hit at one time...

The statement pitchers can't hit isn't usually true until late in college and the majors...and that's primarily because they focus on pitching and not hitting.

Pitchers don't become pitchers because they can't hit...they become pitchers because guys that have the athletic ability to throw both hard and accurately are among the scarcest talents there are.

Additionally...because they are pitchers and have a knowledge of the strike zone...I'd say that you are way way off on the low OBP statement...and the history of pitchers becoming hitters in MLB completely smashes that statement to smithereens...like I said...Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire.

OR...it's based completely on statistical evidence. His minor league numbers show a guy with plus power, but poor strike zone judgement.

Now, since he's only been solely a position player for a few years, it's possible that he can be a rarity and still make major improvements in his game at 28 years old. However, the odds-on favorite at the moment is that he projects to a player who strikes out too much, doesn't walk enough, and hits more than his fair share of HRs.

[MajorMike]

VIDEO (http://mlb.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl.jsp?w_id=591180&w=mms%3A//a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/2007/open/tp/archive08/080907_sdnsln_ankiel_hr_tp_350.wmv&pid=mlb_tp&gid=2007/08/09/sdnmlb-slnmlb-1&vid=7758&mid=200708092140398&cid=mlb&fid=mlb_tp400&v=2&mType=w&urlstr=&mUrl=&type=v_free&_mp=1)

[whottt]

OR...it's based completely on statistical evidence. His minor league numbers show a guy with plus power, but poor strike zone judgement.


His minor league numbers also show a guy that's only been back hitting for about a year and a half after probably 7-8 years of hitting being an after thought...

I think his numbers are impressive across the board considering he is basically having to turn himself into a hitter at the age of 26 or so.

I've also read that the most impressive thing about his game so far is not his power but his fielding...




Now, since he's only been solely a position player for a few years, it's possible that he can be a rarity and still make major improvements in his game at 28 years old. However, the odds-on favorite at the moment is that he projects to a player who strikes out too much, doesn't walk enough, and hits more than his fair share of HRs.

He's really only been doing it for a year...he got injured in 2006.

I am not saying he's the next Ruth...but I am saying it's too early to draw any sort of conclusions as he's very much a project still and he's showing huge rapid gains in becoming a hitter again attempting to do it at such a late stage in his career.


I see now that you were basing your opinion on some statistical eveidence...but I still think you are rushing to judgement...and underestimating the athleticism and talent of pitchers in general. It's hard to throw strikes....it's the hardest thing to do in baseball, and historically speaking...guys who could do that could do just about anything else on the diamond.

[tlongII]

Eff the Cards and Eff Ankiel!

[K-State Spur]

There are two schools of thought on strike zone judgment and it really just depends on which one you belong to. Some scouts believe that it can be taught and honed. Others believe that it is an ingrained ability and the hitter either has it or he doesn't. (The latter has been winning out in the 'moneyball' era, but there are still plenty who subscribe to the first).

That said, I agree with you. Given his limited experience, it would surprise me much less to see Ankiel start showing some patience compared to say, Robinson Cano all of sudden drawing walks left and right.

[T Park]

a few years as a position player?

Try this being the 3rd season.

[T Park]

BTW,


3 for 4 today, 2 home runs and a basehit.


5 for 12 so far.


Seems to be juding the strike zone OK.

[K-State Spur]

BTW,


3 for 4 today, 2 home runs and a basehit.


5 for 12 so far.


Seems to be juding the strike zone OK.

You could fill 50 Halls of Fame with guys who excelled in their first 12 ABs. If that's important to you, maybe you should trade Pujols for Shelly Duncan...

[T Park]

I'd trade Encarnacion for Duncan.

[MajorMike]

I'd trade Encarnacion for Duncan.

Me, too... wait...

[T Park]

Bump.

Ankiel just hit a grand slam to give the Cardinals the lead.



Dude is un believeable....

[JMarkJohns]

T-Park, you're Cardinals need to do everything in their power to keep him clear of haggard looking women in black frocks and blonde bombshells slumming with a guy with a "magic eye" ...

[T Park]

you're Cardinals need to do everything in their power to keep him clear of haggard looking women in black frocks and blonde bombshells slumming with a guy with a "magic eye"

Well he is married, and according to teammates is pretty darn smitten with her, so i think Ricky will be alright :)


Am I missing something with that joke? :lol

[JMarkJohns]

"The Natural"

Great pitcher turned nothing turned RF slugging hero whose presense turns around a team.

[K-State Spur]

Bump.

Ankiel just hit a grand slam to give the Cardinals the lead.



Dude is un believeable....

Tough to fault much that he is doing right now (almost a 1.000 OPS since the call-up). Just 5 walks and 19 Ks in only 61 ABs would be a cause for concern, but if you can put up a .500 BABIP, who cares?

[T Park]

). Just 5 walks and 19 Ks in only 61 ABs would be a cause for concern

just a natural power hitter.

Pujols is a freak in hat he hits more homers than he strikes out.

Although I don't think thats the case this year.

[K-State Spur]

just a natural power hitter.

Pujols is a freak in hat he hits more homers than he strikes out.

Although I don't think thats the case this year.

most successful power hitters with k-rates that high also have high walk-rates (i.e. ryan howard, adam dunn, jim thome). otherwise, your talking about a guy like rob deer**. he will have to improve his ability to walk to have any prolonged success at this level. k-rates and walk-rates have proven to be 2 of the most valuable stats as a predictor for future/long term success.

all that said, i freely genuinely admit that this is nitpicking a guy who has a 970+ OPS. he's been outstanding and there is no reason for disappointment with what he's given the redbirds thus far. and even with the k-rates & walk-rates, the sample size is too small for any worry.



**first ever spurstalk rob deer reference?

[T Park]

Whats funny he strikes out alot and doesnt walk, yet he has a high OPS and high batting average.

It really doesn't make sense.

[T Park]

3-5

a double 3 RBIs tonight.


The hit parade keeps on keepin on :)

[whottt]

It's means he's hitting his way on base...the best way to do it.

hit, any hit > BB

If you can do it without lifting the bat off your shoulder? It's not hitting, it's an act of not hitting and shouldn't be so closely grouped with hitting.


BB can also be determined by the quality of hitter behind you...you got no protection, you are going to draw more walks.


OBP and SLG % should never be the primary stats, they are the derivative stats and therefore are the ones with the secondary value.

[T Park]

2-4 a home run and a sacrafice .

Homer 2 RBIs.

Game winning RBI.


Rick Ankiel is blazin..

[T Park]

BTW

today he announced everyone has been pronouncing his name wrong

everyone pronounces it Ann Kee iLL

its supposed to be pronounced Ann Kee EL

strange I know.

[K-State Spur]

It's means he's hitting his way on base...the best way to do it.


But also a tougher way to sustain.


BB can also be determined by the quality of hitter behind you...you got no protection, you are going to draw more walks.


As much as this makes sense that this would be the case - and is generally accepted amongst baseball fans. Lineup protection has been statistically proven to be not much more than a myth.

And almost every GM would disagree with you on OBP and SLUG. In fact, OBP is the most important offensive statistic in the minds of many.

[DOMINATOR]

And almost every GM would disagree with you on OBP and SLUG. In fact, OBP is the most important offensive statistic in the minds of many.
or you could just use OPS...

[K-State Spur]

OPS is a good stat because it is better than the traditional AVG/HR/RBI triumverate and it is easy to calculate.

But most statisticians believe even that isn't completely accurate - you'd almost have to do OBP*2 + SLUG for a better relative measure of players. Then you are getting into win-shares and WARP3 for what is viewed as the definitive statistical measure of a player.

[whottt]

But also a tougher way to sustain.



As much as this makes sense that this would be the case - and is generally accepted amongst baseball fans. Lineup protection has been statistically proven to be not much more than a myth.


Hmm....go take a look at the year Alex Rodribuez drew a 100BB...see what was different that year from all the others.


Or you can go listen to some interviews by Yogi Berra flat out admitting they used to pitch around Williams.




And almost every GM would disagree with you on OBP and SLUG. In fact, OBP is the most important offensive statistic in the minds of many.


I am quite well aware of that and my response is always...



If people can't the differerence between something a club intentionally does, to it's own benefit, VS something they absolutely do not want to happen...they are far too hopeless to try and argue with.



I just know if you can do it without lifting hte bat off your shoulder? It's not an act of hitting. It's an act of not hitting.


So I'll just save the lengthy argument that will change neither of our minds and say...Pete Rose 4 Rings...Ted Williams and Barry Bonds?

[T Park]

3-4 today, 2 home runs, 7 RBIS.

For those scoring at home thats 29 RBIs in 22 games.


:)

[MajorMike]

I thought he would die off once I picked him up on my fantasy team, but he has been BANK.

[T Park]

I traded Raul Ibanez for him :)

[MajorMike]

I had Ibanez for a bit. He was hot as hell when the M's were winning. He is cold as a frickin stone now, tho so I dropped him.

On a lighter note, I picked up Mulder for his start the other day.

[TheZackAttack!]

3-4 today, 2 home runs, 7 RBIS.

For those scoring at home thats 29 RBIs in 22 games.


:)

:toast :toast :toast :toast :toast

[Kermit]

Ankiel's doing great. Looks like the HGH is working really well.

[Whisky Dog]

HGH doing what it should. Hail the great HGH!!

[tlongII]

So he's not a "Natural" after all...

[Whisky Dog]

So he's not a "Natural" after all...

You think Robert Redford was on HGH?

[T Park]

seeing as hes not bigger than he was even as a pitcher, and the NY Post is reporting this, I will wait for everything else to come out...

[Whisky Dog]

seeing as hes not bigger than he was even as a pitcher, and the NY Post is reporting this, I will wait for everything else to come out...

It doesn't always make you bigger, and if he's cycling and using basically to recover from injury he may not get bigger but could get stronger. Either way, using it to recover quickly from injury ala Rodney Harrison is still cheating and is still gaining an unfair competitive advantage. As for the story, it sure does contain a lot of details to be a complete fabrication. My guess is it's true, but we'll wait to see. If it is true, this brings him into complete suspicion and completely ruins this "feel good" story from the "do the right things and persist to succeed" aspect. To me, it's still a relevant story of doing whatever it takes to succeed, which I can completely understand and have done myself.

[tlongII]

Oh it's true. It's damn true!

[T Park]

It doesn't always make you bigger, and if he's cycling and using basically to recover from injury he may not get bigger but could get stronger. Either way, using it to recover quickly from injury ala Rodney Harrison is still cheating and is still gaining an unfair competitive advantage. As for the story, it sure does contain a lot of details to be a complete fabrication. My guess is it's true, but we'll wait to see. If it is true, this brings him into complete suspicion and completely ruins this "feel good" story from the "do the right things and persist to succeed" aspect. To me, it's still a relevant story of doing whatever it takes to succeed, which I can completely understand and have done myself.


Thats steroids.

Hes accused of using HGH. Human GROWTH hormones.

No, he hasn't grown hardly at all since he was last up.

[leemajors]

Thats steroids.

Hes accused of using HGH. Human GROWTH hormones.

No, he hasn't grown hardly at all since he was last up.
HGH is used the same way for rapid recovery, it just has the added benefit of being untraceable for now.

[monosylab1k]

Thats steroids.

Hes accused of using HGH. Human GROWTH hormones.

No, he hasn't grown hardly at all since he was last up.
do you even know what the fuck HGH is?

[T Park]

Yawn

what Mav fan, are you gonna educate us on HGH now, just like you educated us on how dog fighting is OK.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://www.epinions.com/images/opti/1b/11/newsPlacesNew_YorkNew_York_Post-resized200.jpg


/=/


http://www.nydailynews.com/img/ui_h1_nydn.gif

[Booharv]

Palmeiro was juicing and he wasn't huge, just because you're not musclebound doesn't mean you're not taking performance enhancers.

[K-State Spur]

Good point. Palmeiro = flabby, durable, perfect swing, big time power hitter in youth, consistent production in MLB, plus he was the guy who took the hard line stance against congress (tell me that you didn't believe him at that time).

Raffy was basically anti-everything that was viewed as a sign of using performance enhancing drugs.

When he tested positive, everybody should realize that there are no obvious tells to being clean. You can hope and guess with your favorite players, but to use no obvious change in size as evidence of cleanliness, well that just doesn't work.

[DOMINATOR]

doesnt your head grow when you are on HGH? isn't that the big thing with bonds he had to get a bigger helmet size in his late 30's
steroids doesnt which would explain why palmeiro's didnt.

[K-State Spur]

doesnt your head grow when you are on HGH? isn't that the big thing with bonds he had to get a bigger helmet size in his late 30's
steroids doesnt which would explain why palmeiro's didnt.

Like most side effects of medications, your head (specifically the facial bone) CAN grow. Depending on how much you use plus the fact that different people can react differently to the same medication, you may see completely different side effects from person to person.

[monosylab1k]

Yawn

what Mav fan, are you gonna educate us on HGH now, just like you educated us on how dog fighting is OK.
go cram another donut you ignorant fuck. see things in your own small-minded assbackwards world, what the hell do i care? you might find a clue behind the pizza hut.

[T Park]

go cram another donut you ignorant fuck. see things in your own small-minded assbackwards world, what the hell do i care? you might find a clue behind the pizza hut.


Lovely.

Any more genius lines you want to grace us with like "Dog fighting is normal and ok"

[TheSanityAnnex]

Lovely.

Any more genius lines you want to grace us with like "Dog fighting is normal and ok"Sadly, in many places it is...........along with cock fighting, bull fighting, etc.

HGH on the other hand...............