In 2007, between AAA and the majors, Ankiel registered the kind of power numbers that warrant or dignify pojections for gaudy future returns. Yet he seems to be relatively uncoveted in standard Yahoo! leagues, and I haven't heard a lot of buzz about him here in the cafe. His K rate is mildy alarming, but what's not to like?
I wonder the same thing. If he wasn't mentioned as a user of HGH, could things right now possibly be different? Would there maybe be more hype behind him?
I haven't had a chance to really watch him hit this year, but if you watch footage of him last year, it's apparent that he has a very poor conception of the strike zone. He is indeed a masher, but I don't doubt that he will have prolonged streaks where's he's missing the ball, too.
Of course, it is also worth noting that he bats in front of Albert. If Albert goes down, expect Ankiel's numbers to drop as well.
I was one of the biggest Ankiel bashers. I never liked the guy. And I thought it was a joke when he moved to the outfied. So, as much as I hate to say it, the guy has a sweet swing. I really think the guy is legit and is a guy to grab. I live in STL and have watched these games, and he has an easy and fluid swing where he strokes the ball deep with what appears to be minimal effort. The best part is that he is killing left-handed pitching as a lefty hitter. That'll keep him in the lineup every day. I think it's a mistake to underestimate him and would easily recommend putting him in your final outfield spot.
JTWood wrote:I haven't had a chance to really watch him hit this year, but if you watch footage of him last year, it's apparent that he has a very poor conception of the strike zone. He is indeed a masher, but I don't doubt that he will have prolonged streaks where's he's missing the ball, too.
Of course, it is also worth noting that he bats in front of Albert. If Albert goes down, expect Ankiel's numbers to drop as well.
He seems to understand the strike zone better this year, and is hitting off speed pitches well.
One thing you need to know about Ankiel is his ridiculous work ethic. This guy worked himself into being a solid defensive CF, and the ability to hit at the big league level. A .270/25/80/80/10 is possible from Ankiel as long as he gets a full season worth of ABs and avoids injuries.
...Boston papers now and then suffer a sharp flurry of arithmetic on this score; indeed, for Williams to have distributed all his hits so they did nobody else any good would constitute a feat of placement unparalleled in the annals of selfishness. -Updike
It will be interesting to see how the next week and a half treats Ankiel as the cardinals embark on a seven game road trip. I don't know about his minor league splits, but Ankiel batted .319 w/ 9 HR, and 33 RBI at home last year, while managing only 2 HR, 6 RBI and a .244 AVG on the road...
Sometimes this can be a fantasy blessing, albeit a stressful one. The Ervin Santana effect. But how valuable could Ankiel be if he generated a season's worth of power in half the at-bats (start him at home)? That said, I think that Ankiels home/road splits should even out as he gains confidence. He's always been a bit of a head-case, tho.
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by dorje3 » Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:25 pm 
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