Cardinals History: Former phenom exchanges mound for bat in incredible comeback

The St. Louis Cardinals were always held in high regards for their ability to churn out pitchers from a deep prospect pool, and perhaps none were more exciting than the "Phenom," Rick Ankiel. A second-round pick out of high school, Ankiel impressed immediately in the minor leagues, setting up high expectations for his future in St. Louis.

With a big fastball and curveball that made hitters (and umpires) look foolish, Ankiel pushed all the way to Triple-A in his first full professional season, doing so at the ripe old age of 19. He did not stall there, however, as the big lefty forced his way onto the major league roster for the last month of the 1999 major league season. Despite being nearly 10 years younger than the average MLB player, Ankiel held his own over nine games, with a 3.27 ERA and tallying over a strikeout per inning. The only thing that could stop Ankiel from becoming the next great Cardinals pitcher would be a case of the yips that seemingly came out of nowhere, ending his pitching career before really getting the chance to take off.

The Cardinals signed Rick Ankiel to play outfield on this date in 2007.

Ankiel's pitching career officially ended in 2004, years after his playoff performance that saw him unleash a record five wild pitches in the 2000 postseason. After injuries and command continued to plague the lefty, he made it known at the start of the 2005 season that he would be coming back to the Cardinals as an outfielder. The Cardinals sent Ankiel to the minor leagues for the entire season so he could get his timing down at the plate and learn the new position. He held his own in his first year as a full-time hitter, knocking 21 home runs with a .259 batting average in 85 games, while also using his powerful arm to tally nine outfield assists.

The new outfielder looked ready to compete for a major league roster spot in the following spring, but a season-ending knee injury put another halt on Ankiel's career. He worked his way back and signed another minor league deal with the Cardinals on January 10, 2007, with the expectation of being eased back into action in the minors. However, the 27-year-old surpassed those expectations, being named to the Triple-A All-Star game and smashing 32 homers in 104 games. St. Louis could not ignore his performance any longer and called him up to the bigs for his return to the show.

Ankiel kept that hot bat going over his 47-game sample with the Cardinals at the end of the 2007 season, hitting .285 with another 11 homers. The 78-84 Cardinals missed the postseason, but Ankiel's resurgence into a quality major league outfielder with plenty of pop and the athleticism to handle all three outfield spots gave him the opportunity for an expanded role in 2008 and beyond. Ankiel spent the next two seasons with St. Louis, totaling 36 homers and plenty of spectacular plays on defense before bouncing around different cities to end his major league career.

After Ankiel's departure from the mound, he spent seven more seasons in the majors as a hitter and put up a solid offensive career. In those final seasons, Ankiel totaled a .242 batting average with 74 homers in 575 games.