Some players' careers explode at different ages. For Rick Ankiel, it just happens to be two different ages and two entirely different careers.
At 20, he was one of the prized left-handed power arms in baseball. At 27, he's back, this time as a power-hitting outfielder.
Ankiel, who turns 28 on Aug. 23, was hitting .267 with 32 homers and 89 RBI in 102 games at Triple-A Memphis before he got the call, recall, to the big leagues Thursday. Owned in just four percent of CBS SportsLine's Fantasy leagues, Ankiel will be a popular addition in all NL-only and, once again, long-term keeper leagues.
The homers are nice, but Ankiel will need to continue to prove himself a capable big-league hitter. If he does, he might even become noteworthy in mixed leagues.
Ankiel will need to beat out recently hot Juan Encarnacion in right field, or streaky Chris Duncan in left. It is doubtful he can steal at-bats in center. Turning a former melted-down pitcher into an outfielder is one thing; turning him into a center fielder to replace a perennial Gold Glove winner is something else.
And, he still needs to learn some patience and bat control. He has struck out 90 times and had a .314 on-base percentage in 389 Triple-A at-bats.
"I think when you watch him take batting practice and he hits it, it clicks that he's got legitimate power," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Wednesday. "He's not doing anything that's flash in the pan. Can he make that kind of consistent contact here? We'll see, but he definitely has that kind of power and a live stroke."
But he has come a long way since he was merely a good-hitting pitcher. He has a .207 batting average in the major leagues (18-for-87) with two homers and nine RBI. Now he's trying to be a good-hitting hitter.
Ankiel won 11 games and struck out 194 batters in 175 innings as a 20-year-old rookie in 2000, but during a disastrous first postseason start, he became the first major league pitcher in over 100 years to throw five wild pitches in one inning. All told, he threw nine wild pitches in four innings during the 2000 playoffs, which led to his future pitching struggles, a Tommy John surgery and his eventual decision to become a merely a strong-throwing outfielder.
Following a 1-for-21 start in 2005, he wound up batting a combined .259 with 21 homers and 75 RBI in 85 games split between Class A and Double-A, then spent the 2006 season on the DL after hurting his left knee during a Cardinals intrasquad game early in spring training.
Now he's back in the big leagues and finding himself back on Fantasy rosters ... at 27, our favorite age for a breakthrough. We wouldn't put it past this talent to pop some homers and help you in deeper Fantasy leagues.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
On the verge
Here are some of our favorite prospects who are in the minor leagues and are worth tracking closely (stats through Aug. 8):
| Minor league hotlist | ||
| Position, player, team | Minor league stats | |
| 2 | OF Jay Bruce, CIN | A-AA-Triple-A: .322 AVG, 22 HR, 80 RBI, 77 R, 6 SB |
| His ability to handle Triple-A makes him ready to arrive now. | ||
| 3 | 3B Evan Longoria, TB | AA-Triple-A: .308-22-81-81-4 |
| His numbers have stayed steady after his Triple-A promotion. | ||
| 1 | OF Rick Ankiel, STL | Triple-A: .267-32-89-62-4 |
| His power is intriguing, but his strikeouts are bothersome. | ||
| 4 | 3B Andy LaRoche, LAD | Triple-A: .306-16-43-45-2 |
| Injury and Triple-A shuttle slowed progress, but he was hot. | ||
| 5 | SP Clay Buchholz, BOS | AA-Triple-A: (7-3), 2.09 ERA, 155 K, 0.920 WHIP |
| The struggles of Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield might get him look. | ||
| Honorable mentions: SP Garrett Olson, BAL; SS Reid Brignac, TB SP Mike Pelfrey, NYM; SP Homer Bailey, CIN; SP Gio Gonzalez, CHW; SP Carlos Carrasco, PHI; SP Collin Balester, WAS; 1B Daric Barton, OAK; SP Max Scherzer, ARI; OF Brandon Jones, ATL; 1B Joey Votto, CIN; SP Eric Hurley, TEX; OF Wladimir Balentien, SEA; DH/C Taylor Teagarden, TEX; SP William Inman, SD; SP Jeff Niemann, TB; SP Troy Patton, HOU; 3B Neil Walker, PIT; C Landon Powell, OAK; 3B Joel Guzman, TB; 1B Joe Koshansky, COL; SP Philip Humber, NYM; OF Brandon Moss, BOS; SS Jed Lowrie, BOS; 3B Ian Stewart, COL; OF Terry Evans, LAA; OF Travis Snider, TOR; SP Clayton Kershaw, LAD; SP Chris Mason, TB; SP Wade Townsend, TB; SP Wade Davis, TB; OF Nelson Cruz, TEX; 1B Steven Pearce, PIT; SP Mark Holliman, CHC; 3B Chase Headley, SD; C Jeff Clement, SEA; SP Kevin Slowey, MIN; SP Chuck Lofgren, CLE; SP Zack Segovia, PHI; SP Ian Kennedy, NYY; SP Justin Masterson, BOS; SP Johnny Cueto, CIN. | ||
Rookie watch
Here are the top rookies in Fantasy to date (stats through Aug. 8):
| Top 5 AL Fantasy Rookies | ||
| Position, player, team | Rotisserie stats to date | |
| 1 | SP Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS | 13-8, 3.70 ERA, 152 K, 1.265 WHIP, 0 SV |
| On pace for 18 victories and 219 strikeouts; true Fantasy ace. | ||
| 2 | SP Jeremy Guthrie, BAL | (7-4)-3.22-94-1.112-0 |
| Improving O's are making him more of a winner lately. | ||
| 3 | SP Brian Bannister, KC | (8-6)-3.32-29-1.149-0 |
| Royals starters are risky, but he's out of the risk pool now. | ||
| 4 | OF Delmon Young, TB | .296 AVG, 9 HR, 59 RBI, 48 R, 7 SB |
| Homerless skid is ridiculous, but he's keeping good approach. | ||
| 5 | OF Reggie Willits, LAA | .304-0-30-54-23 |
| One of those players who is only a gem in Rotisserie leagues. | ||
| Honorable mentions: 2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS; SP Matt Garza, MIN; 1B Billy Butler, KC; SP Andrew Miller, DET; OF Travis Buck, OAK; SP Kason Gabbard, TEX; 3B Josh Fields, CHW; RP Eric O'Flaherty, SEA; 3B Akinori Iwamura, TB; RP Hideki Okajima, BOS; RP Joakim Soria, KC; SP John Danks, CHW; 3B Alex Gordon, KC; SP Jesse Litsch, TOR; SP Jordan Tata, DET; RP Santiago Casilla, OAK. | ||
| Top 5 NL Fantasy Rookies | ||
| Position, player, team | Rotisserie stats | |
| 1 | 3B Ryan Braun, MIL | .349 AVG, 21 HR, 55 RBI, 53 R, 10 SB |
| Faster to 21 HRs than Bonds and Big Mac in HR record years. | ||
| 2 | SP Tim Lincecum, SF | (6-2), 3.59 ERA, 113 Ks, 1.206 WHIP, 0 SV |
| His strikeout rate and opponent's average portend greatness. | ||
| 3 | SS Troy Tulowitzki, COL | .280-14-53-64-5 |
| Has been the player Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene should be. | ||
| 4 | OF Hunter Pence, HOU | .330-12-45-42-8 |
| He's nearly ready to swing bat, so might not be too far off. | ||
| 5 | OF Chris Young, ARI | .239-19-40-57-18 |
| Mike Cameron comparisons look accurate due to low average. | ||
| Honorable mentions: SP Yovani Gallardo, MIL; OF Josh Hamilton, CIN; SP Micah Owings, ARI; 1B James Loney, LAD; SP Kyle Kendrick, PHI; C Carlos Ruiz, PHI; 3B Mark Reynolds, ARI; 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, SD; SP Matt Chico, WAS; 2B Mike Fontenot, CHC; 2B Yunel Escobar, ATL; OF Justin Upton, ARI. | ||
Baby talk
Russell Loomis: Is Joba Chamberlain destined to be a starter or a closer in the future for the Yankees?
Emack: Well, considering he is up at 21 right now, he's nothing more than a middle reliever. If he excels in that role, it will put him in the Pitch-22: good enough to start, too valuable in relief. Then, once Mariano Rivera is ready to retire -- the Yankees likely won't let him go elsewhere, nor will they demote him to middle relief -- Chamberlain will be a candidate to close. That's a year or two away. Waiting for a closer for two years is not a great strategy in Fantasy leagues.
Richard: I have been offered Clay Buchholz for Joba Chamberlain. What should I do?
Emack: Assuming you're in a standard Fantasy league, a starting pitcher prospect for an elite team is more valuable that a middle reliever. Take the deal. Chamberlain's call-up came sooner, but it will keep him from being a viable Fantasy contributor before Buchholz can be. Buchholz is arguably the better pitching prospect if all things were equal anyway.
You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Prospects Report in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we do not guarantee personal responses to all questions.
