The Ankiel Thread

[StlSluggers]

I hope things work out that he can get a shot this year.

<pre>Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS
MEM PCL .281 33 121 23 34 5 2 9 31 70 6 26 1 2 .318 .579 .897</pre>

[j_d_mcnugent]

he just needs to stay healthy...and maybe draw a few walks. i think worst case scenario he platoons vs. righties. supposedly he is decent at CF as well. strikes out but hits for plus power.

the post dispatch has an article on another outfielder who is crushing the ball right now. he is sort of a right handed chris duncan but with better defense.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports ... enDocument

[Pogotheostrich]

I still don't think we will see Ankiel until Sept unless there are a ton of injuries.

[StlSluggers]

So are they just waiting until next year to bring him up so that they don't have to worry about giving him a contract or anything? He's what? 27? 28? He doesn't have many good hitting years left, right?

[j_d_mcnugent]

So are they just waiting until next year to bring him up so that they don't have to worry about giving him a contract or anything? He's what? 27? 28? He doesn't have many good hitting years left, right?

i think its a combination of:

a) wanting ankiel to get some regular at bats...work on cutting down the k's and drawing a few walks. he is doing well at AAA but he could use a little more polish.
b) needing to come to a decision about what to do with encarnacion--starter, bench, trade?
c) ankiel being out of options so once he is up he has to stay up

[j_d_mcnugent]

i think he was just put on the DL with an inflamed achilles tendon.

[j_d_mcnugent]

rick hit three homers yesterday giving him 19 in 57 games (tied for the PCL league lead). he has a .282/.317/.606 line. i'd like to see a few more walks (11/53 bb/k ratio) but other than that he looks ready.

Ankiel hits three home runs as 'Birds top Cubs

June 17, 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Rick Ankiel hit three home runs Saturday, leading the Memphis Redbirds to a 7-5 victory over the Iowa Cubs Saturday at Principal Park.

Ankiel homered in his first two at-bats against Iowa starter J.R. Mathes and again in the eighth off Rocky Cherry with the Redbirds clinging to a 6-5 lead.

He came up again in the ninth with a chance for a fourth homer, but could only manage a single.

The last Redbird to hit three homers in a game was Bill Selby, who did it against the Cubs on June 16, 2003 at AutoZone Park.

Mike Parisi picked up a hard-earned victory after battling through six tough innings. Parisi (5-5) retired the side in order just once, but shut down Iowa over his final three innings.

Mark Worrell turned in two scoreless innings before Brian Falkenborg closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning for his 15th save.

[bigh0rt]

But he’s on top, and who could’ve predicted that? Even if he doesn’t develop into a solid big league outfielder, he’s gone from the top pitching prospect of his generation to a laughing stock to a guy who hits tape-measure home runs on a relatively regular basis.

After he hit the third home run, but before he walked up to the plate with a chance to hit his fourth, I was thinking about his place in the Cardinals’ plans when I realized that it was the first time I’d ever thought about Rick Ankiel, Outfielder, completely outside the context of his 20-year-old self and that jaw-dropping curveball. So let’s take this opportunity, as we’re in between Rick Ankiel, major league pitcher and Rick Ankiel, major league hitter of long home runs, to think: holy crap, how did this happen?

FULL STORY