Views From the Sidelines

Normally, I wouldn't post an entry on one player, but today there's an exception to that rule. Rick Ankiel, the pitching hotshot that converted to an outfielder after suffering a case of Steve Blass Syndrome, is no longer a St. Louis Cardinal.

Ankiel signed with St. Louis straight out of high school (having gone 11-1 with a 0.47 ERA in his senior year in 1997) and led the minors in strikeouts in 1998. He was named Minor League Player of the Year in 1999 and won several other awards that year. Ankiel debuted in the Majors in 1999 and posted good numbers in his rookie year - going 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 194 strikeouts.

Then, it all fell apart. Ankiel started Game 1 of the 2000 NLDS and allowed four runs on two hits, walked four and threw five wild pitches in the third inning of that game. It didn't bode well for Ankiel in his next start, Game 2 of the 2000 NLCS. He threw just 20 pitches and threw two wild pitches. He also went in the seventh inning of Game 5 and struggled. Ankiel faced four hitters in the inning, walking two and throwing two wild pitches.

Ankiel would struggle the next four seasons, but announced in 2005 that he would be converting to an outfielder. He made it to the Big Leagues once again in 2007. On August 9th, he hit his first home run since 2000 off Doug Brocail in a Cards' 5-0 win over the San Diego Padres. The rest is history... at least, until this past May.

On May 4, Ankiel collided with the wall in center at Busch Stadium and was carted off the field. He was placed on the DL three days later, but returned on May 24. He was never the same after the injury, and posted up his worst numbers since returning to the Majors: a .231 batting average, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs and struck out 99 times. He put up similar numbers in 2007, but played far fewer games (47 in 2007, 122 in 2009).

Ankiel was the final batter in the Cardinals' dismal 2009 NLDS against the LA Dodgers, striking out, and ending his time in St. Louis. He left that night without speaking to the press, giving Cards fans the cold shoulder after all that they had been through together.

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I was one of Ank's biggest fans when he came back in 2007, and I was fired up after he hit his first home run. I knew right then that it was the beginning of a comeback, and that he would be a good asset for the team. Then, all those thoughts were shattered that night in May, and it was never the same for me after that.

I jeered Ank when he struck out so many times, and the sad thing was you could see it coming almost every time he came up to the plate. It was so bad that I started typing his name "AnK" on a Cardinals' blog. And now, I feel bad about that, because Cardinals fans like myself don't usually do such a thing. I guess it got bad enough at the end, given that Ank didn't even talk to the press after the NLDS and left St. Louis without saying 'thanks' or anything. But, like the big guns are praised, the guys who don't perform are jeered. Unfortunately, Rick Ankiel was both.

Regardless, I wish Rick Ankiel the best of luck in Kansas City - and honestly, it's going to be weird the first time I see him in another uniform, because in my mind, he will always be a St. Louis Cardinal.