2008 Woodie Awards
Ankiel story requires context
Alex Voigt
Issue date: 9/10/07 Section: Sports
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One rarely sees a sports story with as many twists and turns as the odyssey of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel.
It's amazing to think about the different titles Ankiel has held over the past seven years: young pitching phenom, legendary postseason flop, down-and-out pitcher that switched to the outfield as a last resort, comeback player for the ages and finally, a possible drug cheat.
The last two titles have occurred in frighteningly close proximity to one another, as reports of Ankiel receiving Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in 2004 surfaced just one day after Ankiel homered twice and had sports writers saying he deserved Most Valuable Player consideration, despite not getting called up to the majors until early August.
It's been a rollercoaster few years for Ankiel, to say the least. It's also been an intriguing story for baseball fans to watch unfold. I remember watching the 2000 playoffs thinking to myself: "How can one man possibly meltdown so much in such a short time?"
Ankiel melted down in legendary fashion during that postseason, uncorking an unfathomable five wild pitches in one inning. His stat line for the entire postseason: four innings pitched, 11 walks and nine wild pitches: not exactly Cy Young material.
It wasn't like Ankiel was some Average Joe pitcher either. At 20 years old, he was the best rookie pitcher in the league that season and was perceived by many to be the future ace of the Cardinals pitching staff. Manager Tony LaRussa even showed enough faith in Ankiel to make him the Game 1 starter in the team's playoff series against the Atlanta Braves.
Then, after one nightmare of a postseason, Ankiel seemed to vanish into obscurity. He had constant control issues in his next season and was then force to undergo Tommy John surgery on his arm in 2003 after complaints about arm pain. Ankiel's name would not resurface on the national scene again until early 2005, when instead of retiring because of his frustrations, Ankiel decided to become an outfielder.
It's amazing to think about the different titles Ankiel has held over the past seven years: young pitching phenom, legendary postseason flop, down-and-out pitcher that switched to the outfield as a last resort, comeback player for the ages and finally, a possible drug cheat.
The last two titles have occurred in frighteningly close proximity to one another, as reports of Ankiel receiving Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in 2004 surfaced just one day after Ankiel homered twice and had sports writers saying he deserved Most Valuable Player consideration, despite not getting called up to the majors until early August.
It's been a rollercoaster few years for Ankiel, to say the least. It's also been an intriguing story for baseball fans to watch unfold. I remember watching the 2000 playoffs thinking to myself: "How can one man possibly meltdown so much in such a short time?"
Ankiel melted down in legendary fashion during that postseason, uncorking an unfathomable five wild pitches in one inning. His stat line for the entire postseason: four innings pitched, 11 walks and nine wild pitches: not exactly Cy Young material.
It wasn't like Ankiel was some Average Joe pitcher either. At 20 years old, he was the best rookie pitcher in the league that season and was perceived by many to be the future ace of the Cardinals pitching staff. Manager Tony LaRussa even showed enough faith in Ankiel to make him the Game 1 starter in the team's playoff series against the Atlanta Braves.
Then, after one nightmare of a postseason, Ankiel seemed to vanish into obscurity. He had constant control issues in his next season and was then force to undergo Tommy John surgery on his arm in 2003 after complaints about arm pain. Ankiel's name would not resurface on the national scene again until early 2005, when instead of retiring because of his frustrations, Ankiel decided to become an outfielder.