# Rick Ankiel
**Rick Ankiel** (Richard Alexander Ankiel, born 1979 in [Fort Pierce, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/fort-pierce-florida)) is a former [Major League Baseball](https://www.edgepedia.org/major-league-baseball) player who reached the big leagues as a left-handed starting pitcher with the [St. Louis Cardinals](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-louis-cardinals), lost his ability to throw strikes, and then rebuilt his career as a power-hitting outfielder, one of the few players in MLB history to succeed in both roles.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) • [2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Draft and debut | Drafted by St. Louis in the second round (72nd overall) of the 1997 June draft; MLB debut August 23, 1999[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) |
| 2000 rookie season | 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and a Cardinals rookie-record 194 strikeouts; second in National League Rookie of the Year voting[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) • [2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) |
| The meltdown | Five wild pitches in one inning of Game 1 of the 2000 NLDS against the Braves, the first MLB player since 1890 to do so, and nine wild pitches in four postseason innings[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-10-sp-bbnotes10-story.html) |
| Position switch | Retired as a pitcher on March 9, 2005, and converted to outfielder[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) |
| Best season as hitter | 2008: .264 with 25 home runs and 71 RBI for the Cardinals[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) |
| Career totals | Batting: .240 average, 76 home runs, 251 RBI, .724 OPS; pitching: 13-10, 3.90 ERA, 242 innings[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) |
| Ruth comparison | Along with Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani, Ankiel is one of three MLB players to start a postseason game as a pitcher and hit a postseason home run as a position player; Ankiel accomplished these feats in 2000 and 2010, respectively[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) • [9](https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-first-pitcher-with-leadoff-home-run?msockid=17461a7d717b6c652e810cf770696d00) |
## Early career and rise as a pitcher
Ankiel starred as a two-way player at Port St. Lucie [High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-school) in Florida, going 11-1 with a 0.47 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 74 innings as a 1997 senior, which earned him USA Today High School Player of the Year honors.[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) He played for the USA Junior National Team in 1996 and 1997, winning bronze at the International Baseball Association's World Junior Championship, where he went 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA and also batted .387 with three home runs.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) The Cardinals drafted him as a pitcher in the second round in 1997, and he signed with scout Johnny DiPuglia, turning down a baseball scholarship to the [University of Miami](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-miami).[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449)
He moved quickly through the minors, named the Cardinals' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in both 1998 and 1999 and the Minor League Player of the Year by [USA Today](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-today) and [Baseball America](https://www.edgepedia.org/baseball-america) in 1999.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) In an interview, Ankiel recalled being rated the No. 1 prospect in the country out of high school and again in the minor leagues.[4](https://www.wuwm.com/2017-04-24/for-baseballs-rick-ankiel-losing-his-pitching-ability-led-to-an-unusual-comeback)
His 2000 rookie season, at age 20, was outstanding: 30 starts, an 11-7 record, a 3.50 ERA, and 194 strikeouts, which broke [Dizzy Dean](https://www.edgepedia.org/dizzy-dean)'s 1932 franchise rookie record of 191. He ranked among [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league) leaders in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings (10.0), opponents' batting average (.219), and walks.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) He finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and Baseball America had ranked him the No. 1 prospect in baseball heading into the season.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449)
## The 2000 NLDS and the loss of control
Ankiel's problems began when manager [Tony La Russa](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-la-russa) made him the surprise Game 1 starter in the 2000 playoffs against the [Atlanta Braves](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-braves).[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-10-sp-bbnotes10-story.html) During the third inning he unleashed five wild pitches, making him the first big leaguer to do so in a single inning since 1890, and across four innings of postseason play his wild pitch total reached nine.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-10-sp-bbnotes10-story.html) Ankiel later described the sequence: a pitch that did not sit right, then spiked curveballs and throws off the back of the screen that the catcher could not handle, spiraling out of control.[4](https://www.wuwm.com/2017-04-24/for-baseballs-rick-ankiel-losing-his-pitching-ability-led-to-an-unusual-comeback)
The condition, widely compared to the "yips" and to Steve Blass's similar loss of control, did not go away. In 2001 he went 1-2 with a 7.13 ERA and 25 walks in 24 innings before being demoted; at Triple-A Memphis he walked 17 batters in 4.1 innings, and in one start he set [Pacific Coast League](https://www.edgepedia.org/pacific-coast-league) records with five wild pitches and six walks in a single inning.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-10-sp-bbnotes10-story.html) • [1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) He later admitted drinking vodka before his first start of the 2001 season to quiet the anxiety, which helped once and then failed.[5](https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2017/03/elden-what-ever-happened-to-pitcher-turned-outfielder-rick-ankiel) In a 2017 interview he said that when he returned the next year, the problem was "in me deeper and darker than it was before."[4](https://www.wuwm.com/2017-04-24/for-baseballs-rick-ankiel-losing-his-pitching-ability-led-to-an-unusual-comeback)
Injuries compounded the wildness. He missed the entire 2002 season with a left elbow sprain, and on July 16, 2003, he underwent [Tommy John](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-john) surgery (left elbow ligament transfer) performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) He returned briefly as a reliever in September 2004, recording two holds in five games, but the pitching career was effectively over.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449)
## Conversion to outfielder
On March 9, 2005, Ankiel announced his retirement as a Major League pitcher to focus on becoming an outfielder, telling reporters, "It just became apparent that it was time for me to move on and pursue becoming an outfielder."[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) • [6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/03/10/in-st-louis-a-pitcher-in-the-outfield/b2bdbabe-fba5-4eb2-8962-386a93ac5e18/) He said the idea of a pitcher becoming an outfielder was, at the time, "an unheard of thing," and that agent [Scott Boras](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-boras) proposed the switch to him within an hour of his decision to stop pitching.[4](https://www.wuwm.com/2017-04-24/for-baseballs-rick-ankiel-losing-his-pitching-ability-led-to-an-unusual-comeback)
The climb back was slow. He split 2005 between Class A Quad Cities and Double-A Springfield, then missed all of 2006 with a left knee injury (a patella tendon strain suffered in spring training that required surgery).[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) In 2007 he led the Cardinals organization with 43 home runs and was leading the Pacific Coast League with 32 home runs for Triple-A Memphis when St. Louis promoted him on August 9.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449)
His first game back in the majors, on August 9, 2007, was his first Major League appearance since October 1, 2004, and he hit a three-run homer in a 5-0 win over the Padres; two games later he hit two more home runs against the Dodgers.[7](https://www.mlb.com/news/rick-ankiel-ends-major-league-comeback) In 47 games that season he hit .285/.328/.545 with 11 home runs.[7](https://www.mlb.com/news/rick-ankiel-ends-major-league-comeback)
## Major league outfielder, 2007 to 2013
**2008 was his best season.** Ankiel batted .264 with 25 home runs and 71 RBI for the Cardinals, and became just the second player in Major League history, after [Babe Ruth](https://www.edgepedia.org/babe-ruth), to hit 25 or more home runs in a season after having previously started 25 or more games as a pitcher.[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) • [1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) His throwing arm remained a weapon: on May 6 at Colorado he threw out a pair of runners at third base and hit a solo home run in the same game.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) That season was cut short by an abdominal injury requiring season-ending surgery on September 19.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449)
He spent 2009 with St. Louis, hitting .231/.285/.387 with 11 home runs, then signed with Kansas City as a free agent.[7](https://www.mlb.com/news/rick-ankiel-ends-major-league-comeback) In 2010, his first season outside St. Louis, he hit .232 with 6 home runs in 74 games for the Braves and Royals, notching his 300th career hit and 50th career home run.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) He hit 14 home runs over two seasons with the Washington Nationals in 2011 and 2012, and finished his career with the Houston Astros and New York Mets in 2013.[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel)
Across his career he compiled a .240 batting average with 76 home runs and 251 RBI at the plate, and a 13-10 record with a 3.90 ERA in 242 innings on the mound.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449) He is one of only two major league players, with Babe Ruth, to hit more than 50 home runs and win more than 12 games as a pitcher.[5](https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2017/03/elden-what-ever-happened-to-pitcher-turned-outfielder-rick-ankiel)
## Later life and recognition
After retiring, Ankiel took a "Life Skills Coordinator" role with the Washington Nationals, mentoring players at the minor and major league levels.[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) In 2018 he co-authored *The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life*, a New York Times bestseller about his loss of control and recovery.[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) He later returned to St. Louis as a commentator and studio analyst for Bally Sports Midwest, and since 2022 has served as a Training Camp Manager in the USA Baseball 18U National Team program.[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel) He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.[2](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel)
In 2018, at age 39, he announced an attempt to return to the majors as a relief pitcher, nearly 14 years after his last pitching appearance, but ended the comeback in July 2019 after elbow surgery and a strained flexor tendon repeatedly derailed his throwing program.[8](https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/rick-ankiel-considering-pitching-comeback-c289166690.html) • [7](https://www.mlb.com/news/rick-ankiel-ends-major-league-comeback)
## References
1. [Rick Ankiel Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/player/rick-ankiel-150449)
2. [Rick Ankiel, USA Baseball](https://www.usabaseball.com/player/rick-ankiel)
3. [Wild Pitcher Ankiel Will Switch to Outfield, Los Angeles Times (March 10, 2005)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-10-sp-bbnotes10-story.html)
4. [For Baseball's Rick Ankiel, Losing His Pitching Ability Led To An Unusual Comeback, WUWM/Fresh Air (April 24, 2017)](https://www.wuwm.com/2017-04-24/for-baseballs-rick-ankiel-losing-his-pitching-ability-led-to-an-unusual-comeback)
5. [ELDEN: What Ever Happened to Pitcher-Turned-Outfielder Rick Ankiel?, The Cornell Daily Sun (2017)](https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2017/03/elden-what-ever-happened-to-pitcher-turned-outfielder-rick-ankiel)
6. [In St. Louis, a Pitcher in the Outfield?, The Washington Post (March 10, 2005)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/03/10/in-st-louis-a-pitcher-in-the-outfield/b2bdbabe-fba5-4eb2-8962-386a93ac5e18/)
7. [Ankiel ends Major League comeback attempt, MLB.com (July 31, 2019)](https://www.mlb.com/news/rick-ankiel-ends-major-league-comeback)
8. [Rick Ankiel considering pitching comeback, MLB.com (August 6, 2018)](https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/rick-ankiel-considering-pitching-comeback-c289166690.html)
9. [Ohtani's G4 HRs broken down: From leadoff, to clearing roof, to rare 3rd](https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-first-pitcher-with-leadoff-home-run?msockid=17461a7d717b6c652e810cf770696d00)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Baseball and related bat sports › Professional baseball in the Americas › MLB players and personnel biographies › Outfielders › Outfielders active since 2000 › Surnames A to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license