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ANKIEL, RICK


Nickname:	N/A	Position:	CF, RF
Home:	Jupiter, Florida	Team:	BRAVES
Height:	6' 1"	Bats:	L
Weight:	215	Throws:	L
DOB:	7/19/1979	Agent:	Scott Boras
Birth City:	Fort Pierce, FL	Draft:	Cardinals #2 - 1997 - Out of Port St. Lucie H.S. (Fla.)
Uniform #:	28		Cardinals #2 - 1997 - Out of Port St. Lucie H.S. (Fla.)

YR	LEA	TEAM	SAL(K)	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	OBP	SLG	AVG
2005	MWL	QUAD CITIES		51	185	33	50	10	1	11	45	0		27	37			.270
2005	TL	SPRINGFIELD		34	136	18	33	7	0	10	30	0		10	29			.243
2006	-	D.L.
2007	NL	CARDINALS		47	172	31	49	8	1	11	39	1	0	13	41	.328	.535	.285
2007	PCL	MEMPHIS		102	389	62	104	15	3	32	89	4	3	25	90	.314	.568	.267
2008	NL	CARDINALS	$900.00	120	413	65	109	21	2	25	71	2	1	42	100	.337	.506	.264
2009	NL	CARDINALS	$2,825.00	122	372	50	86	21	2	11	38	4	3	26	99	.285	.387	.231
2010	NL	ROYALS	$2,750.00	27	92	14	24	7	0	4	15	1	0	7	29	.317	.467	.261
2010	NL	BRAVES		28	86	14	19	4	1	1	7	1	1	10	31	.309	.326	.221
2010	NL	ROYALS	$2,750.00	27	92	14	24	7	0	4	15	1	0	7	29	.317	.467	.261
2010	NL	BRAVES		29	88	14	19	4	1	1	7	1	1	11	33	.310	.318	.216
2010	NL	ROYALS	$2,750.00	27	92	14	24	7	0	4	15	1	0	7	29	.317	.467	.261
2010	NL	BRAVES		30	88	14	19	4	1	1	7	1	1	11	33	.310	.318	.216

PERSONAL:
When Ankiel was just a kid, he traveled a whole lot with his baseball teams. He made all of the all-star squads and matured quickly. He remembers coming home from one of those trips when he was 13 years old. His parents were sitting in the living room and asked Rick to sit down. They then told him that his best friend, Dennis, had died in a car accident. Rick says that is the last time he cried. "You hope it is a dream and that then you'll wake up. And you don't. Then it hits you," Ankiel said. "It made me realize reality. It made me grow up way faster than I would have if it wouldn't have happened."	In high school in 1997, Rick went 11-1, 0.42 with 162 srikeouts in 74 innings, walking just 22 and allowing only 21 hits for Port St. Lucie High School. In August 1997, he signed with the Cardinals for a $2.5 million signing bonus -- three days before attending his first college class. In 1998, Rick set a new Prince William (CAR) single-season strikeout record. And he held the league to a .134 batting avg. And he was the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Ankiel has a big body, so he will always have to watch his weight. But he works hard. The day after he pitches, he runs 20 minutes to loosen his muscles. If his arm feels all right he'll throw some long toss, playing catch with a teammate from 50, then 100, then about 150 feet away. This drill built his velocity from 84 mph to 90 between his sophomore and junior years of high school, and it helps him maintain strength during the season, when he does little weightlifting. A pitcher's arm should have long, loose, thin muscles, not short, tight ones. Long toss is one of the ways that a pitcher can strengthen his arm without lifting weights or doing something that's not natural to throwing a ball.

In 1999, he was named Baseball Weekly's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. And he was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year for 1999. Rick has remained the same guy he was before he became a millionaire. "I still have the same friends I always had. A lot of them are gone to college when I'm home in the winter, so that's different." DAD IN AND OUT OF JAIL Rick's father, Rick Sr., was arrested 15 times from 1975 to 2000. On Sept. 28, 1999, Rick's father, Richard Patrick Ankiel, age 42 at that time, was accused with three other people of distributing marijuana and cocaine. He was sentenced to nearly six months in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. He helped a drug ringleader import hundreds of pounds of drugs into the country. He was convicted and given five years in prison, which he was to enter in June 2000. Rick seemed to handle it well. "I'm OK, because there's nothing I can do about. It's just reality, you know." Mr. Ankiel then was arrested for waving a 9mm handgun at someone driving in their car May 10 and was put in jail a month early.	Rick's parents got divorced in 2000. Rick's Dad has a rap sheet four pages long. He was arrested in 1975 for marijuana possession, and for the next 25 years did time for everything for burglary, aggravated assault, conterfeiting, carrying a concealed weapon, and fleeing police to numerous charges of driving while intoxicated. It was not until the above arrest for his involvement in a Bahamian smuggling ring that his troubles became public. All his life, Rick had to watch his father lie, steal, use and sell drugs and engage in sometimes-violent arguments with his mother. No longer does he have to worry about anyone but his mother, Denise Turton, who now lives alone in the two-bedroom, $44,000 house they had shared. No longer does Rick have to lie to himself or tell friends that his Dad was a fisherman or a self-employed drywall specialist.

With all that has gone on in Ankiel's life, he found the pitching mound to be an oasis. Rick himself was arrested twice as a juvenile. He faced charges of petty theft and criminal mischief shortly before his 14th birthday and at 16, charges of grand theft and burglary. Rick says he was hanging out with the wrong people. But he graduated from high school with a 3.0 grade-point-average. He still feels close to his father. He won't talk of his Dad's long history of convictions. "I don't know. You keep your personal life personal and your business life business," he said. He seems happiest when his Mom, Denise, is in town to watch him pitch. "I talk to my Mom every day. Every day." And he talks to his Dad on the phone two or three times a week. "Pretty much all we talk about is baseball."	Ankiel had a brutal postseason in 2000. His meltdown in Game 2 of the NLCS was a shock. He threw 4 of his first 14 pitches to the backstop, and 5 of his first 20. His appearance in Game 5 had 9 wild pitches, 11 walks, and 7 runs in 4 innings Rick purchased a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home near the Cardinals' training complex in Jupiter, Florida in 2005. On New Year's Eve in 2006 (with the party lasting until New Year's Day, 2007), Rick got married to Lory Bailey, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader and current advertising executive. The wedding took place on the Atlantic Ocean. In 2009, Rick and Lory were planning on starting a family. And Rick was seriously considering changing his name to Dick Ankiel.

Ankiel reportedly had a year's supply of human growth hormone delivered to him in 2004. Rick responded that any drugs he received in 2004 were prescribed by a licensed physician to help him recover from reconstructive elbow surgery. But he refused to list his various prescriptions. "I'm not going to go into the list of what my doctors have prescribed for me," Ankiel said. "I've been through a lot emotionally and physically. There are doctor and patient privileges, and I hope you guys respect those privileges." The New York Daily News reported in their September 7 editions that Ankiel received eight shipments of HGH from January to December 2004 from Signature Pharmacy, under investigation for illegally distributing prescription medications. The performance-enhancing drug was banned by Major League Baseball in 2005, but a test has yet to be developed.	Citing records the newspaper obtained, the Daily News said Ankiel got HGH shipments that included Saizen and Genotropin, two injectable drugs. Florida physician Dr. William Gogan signed Ankiel's prescriptions, providing them through a Palm Beach Gardens clinic called The Health and Rejuvenation Center (THARC), the newspaper reported. The drugs were shipped to Ankiel at the clinic's address, the paper said. On December 6, 2007, Major League Baseball announced that Ankiel had not violated baseball's drug policy and would not be suspended or anything. Rick was asked if he ever has wished he could roll back his life on videotape and go back on the mound in the 2000 playoffs? "No," Ankiel said. "I don't go back." Asked if he felt any self-pity, Rick again replied, "No. I had a lot of good fortune. I know a lot of people who weren't lucky like me." TRANSACTIONS

January 18, 2008: Rick and the Cardinals avoided salary arbitration when they agreed to a one-year, $900,000 contract with incentives that could add another $100,000 for him -- an additional $25,000 if he reaches 350 plate appearances and the same amount at 400, 450 and 500 plate appearances. January 20, 2009: Ankiel and the Cards filed for salary arbitration. Rick came in at $3.3 million against the Cardinals' $2.35 million. On February 12, 2009: Rick and the Cards avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2,825,000. November 5, 2009: Ankiel filed for free agency. January 22, 2010: Rick signed a one-year, $3.25 million contract with the Royals, with a mutual option worth $6 million for 2011.	July 31, 2010: The Braves sent pitchers Tim Collins and Jesse Chavez and OF Gregor Blanco to the Royals, acquiring Ankiel, reliever Kyle Farnsworth and cash from Kansas City.

BATTING:
Ankiel swings the bat real well. Ankiel has a smooth lefthanded swing. When he was a pitcher, he was used occasionally as a pinch-hitter. (In fact, as of the start of the 2006 season, in the 87 at-bats Rick had in the Majors -- all when he was a pitcher, of course -- he had a .207 average with 2 home runs and 9 RBI). March 9, 2005: The Cardinals moved Ankiel to the outfield. It was Rick's decision, and the team was fully supportive.\| "I just felt like after Puerto Rico, coming back when I was hurt there, I changed mechanically. Just coming back, I couldn't really replicate it," Ankiel said. "Not being able to go out there and be effective, not being able to replicate my mechanics, the frustration and the way it effects me off the field -- it just wasn�t worth it. I feel relieved now and I�m happy to move on."	In 2006 spring training, Ankiel reflected on his move from the mound to the outfield: "It might have been hard to walk away if I was throwing no-hitters every day," Ankiel said of his March 2005 surprise announcement that he would halt his pitching career and attempt to make the majors as a hitter. "But that wasn't the case. Pitching wasn't fun for me. It wasn't fun. This offseason (before 2006 spring camp) it was more exciting lifting to become a stronger hitter than it was thinking about pitching." "He's a legitimate Major League prospect," said manager Tony La Russa in 2005. "He's got a good stroke, above average speed, a good strong arm. He's highly competitive, a good athlete. He's a guy, if you saw him playing, you'd sign him as an outfielder. He's more advanced as a hitter than you would expect, than any of us expected."

He is an aggressive hitter. He has some big games now, getting some key hits with runners on base. (May, 2009) YEAR-by-YEAR In 2005, with the Springfield Cardinals (TL), Ankiel opened some eyes by hitting 10 home runs in his final 27 games. In 2007, while with St. Louis, Rick nailed lefthanded pitching for a .391 average and 4 home runs in 46 at-bats, and hit .246 with 7 homers in 126 at-bats against righthanders. In 2008, Ankiel only hit .224 with 7 home runs in 116 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, but hit .279 with 18 home runs in 297 at-bats against righthanders. In 2009, Rick hit just .234 with no homers in 94 at-bats against lefties, and .230 with 11 homers in 278 at-bats vs. rigthhanded pitchers.	As of the start of the 2010 season, Ankiel had a career batting average of .251 with 49 home runs and 157 RBI in 1,044 at-bats during hit Major League career.

FIELDING:
Ankiel has learned to play the outfield. Rick certainly has a strong enough arm out there. "You try to find a four-seam grip so that it stays straight," he said of how he grips the ball to throw a runner out at 3rd or home plate. "But a lot of times when it happens that fast, you've just got to pick it up and throw it as you get it." May 7, 2008: Ankiel displayed his "pitcher's arm" gunning down the Rockies' Omar Quintanilla as he tried to turn a two-out double into a triple. Rick threw the ball from the warning track on the fly to third base, an estimated distance of 300 feet. Rockies' manager Clint Hurdle called it the best throw he's ever seen.

RUNNING:
Rick's speed is just a tad below-average. THE FOLLOWING NOTES ARE FROM WHEN ANKIEL WAS A PITCHER: The lefthanded Ankiel had great breaking stuff to go with his 92-95 mph FASTBALL, superb for a lefthander. And he had a sharp-breaking, 12-to-6 CURVEBALL that he has good command of, and may be his best pitch. He added a SLIDER late in 1999 and 2000, but it is still a work-in-progress. And he has a good CHANGEUP. For someone who regularly gets 92 mph on the gun, a changeup can be a dynamite pitch He pitches too deep into counts. His composure used to be excellent. When he got in a tough spot, he turned it up a notch.	Cardinals' minor league manager Joe Cunningham once said, "This kid has a lot of God-given talent, that's for sure. When he perfects his pitches and learns how to be in the strike zone all the time that he wants to be, and out of the strike zone when he wants to be, he's going to be dominating." He throws from a three-quarters arm angle. It is an effortless delivery. "The biggest thing with Ankiel is the quickness of his arm," Diamondbacks scout Julian Mock says. "It's like whhhhtt!, like a snake striking. It's so fluid." In 2000, his ERA ranked 8th in the NL. And he also was seventh in strikeouts, second in strikeouts per 9 innings, and third in opponents batting average. CONTROL PROBLEMS

Rick's control problems are well-documented other places. But the bottom line reason he started having control problems is this: Having to deal with a different catcher. In October 2000, Mike Matheny, who had accidentally cut his hand, was not his catcher in the first game of the NL Division Series. With Carlos Hernandez behind the plate, Ankiel was not as comfortable. Hernandez had a bad back and lacked some mobility. So when he was unable to catch a pitch not real far from the strike zone, Rick said to himself, "Uh-oh," and started aiming the ball. That was the start of the problems. In 2003, Ankiel moved to the bullpen. He also made a change in his delivery, coming from a slightly lower arm angle.	Entering the 2005 season, Rick's career numbers were: 13-10 with a 3.90 ERA. He had allowed a .252 average with just one home run in 37 innings pitched to lefthanded batters, and a .221 mark with 31 home runs in 205 innings vs. righthanded hitters. March 9, 2005: Ankiel moved to left field. He is a pretty good hitter.

CAREER INJURY REPORT:
2005: Ankiel was hampered by a sore back all season. And later in the year, he came down with a strained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. February 27, 2006: Ankiel suffered a strained/partial tear of the left patellar tendon in an intrasquad game with the Cardinals. It was a Grade 2 strain, the middle of three levels. "I felt something catch," Ankiel said. "My cleat got caught when I was running down a ball. I went to turn to pivot and my cleat got caught and my knee twisted." The ball was hit by Larry Bigbie in a scrimmage game. Rick started the season on the D.L. And on May 26, Ankiel had surgery in California to repair a tear in his patellar tendon. The surgery concluded what had been three months of attempted recovery. With the club's extended spring training players, Ankiel would swing the bat, run, even track fly balls. But he struggled when it came to any explosive actions--cutting swiftly, breaking from bases. Surgery fixed the tear, but ended his season.	May 10-21, 2007: A sore Achilles tendon put Ankiel on the D.L. July 26, 2008: Rick felt a pinch in his stomach while running out a double in the 8th inning of a game and played the rest of the game "in distress." The next day, it was diagnosed as a lower abdominal strain. Ankiel was limited to pinch-hitting duties for a couple of weeks because of the injury. Swinging the bat didn't bother him, but running was very painful. September 17, 2008: Ankiel underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia, the colloquial term for a split or tear in the abdominal wall that can cause tenderness and discomfort in the torso. Ankiel injured the area legging out a double at Shea Stadium in late July. In his next 65 at-bats, he hit .169 with three home runs and 20 strikeouts. Ankiel's surgery was less extensive than the procedure to repair Chris Duncan's sports hernia in 2007, Ankiel said.

May 4-24, 2009: Ankiel smacked headfirst into the outfield wall while catching a Pedro Feliz fly ball. The game was delayed about 15 minutes until Rick could be from the field and taken to an area hospital for X-rays and a CT scan. He did not lose consciousness, nor did ne lose feeling in his arms and legs. The next few days he was sore all over, especially in his right shoulder, but no structural damage was found. He did go on the D.L. March 12, 2010: Ankiel was sidelined for over a week of spring training with a sore right ankle. May 3-July 22, 2010: Rick was on the D.L. with a strained right quadriceps muscle.

Last Updated 9/6/2010. All contents © 2000 by Player Profiles. All rights reserved.