Ankiel Impressive in First Major League Victory

The Baseball America and USA Today 1999 Minor League Player of the Year was the recipient of a five-run, first inning gift from his offense. From then on, Ankiel dominated the Brewers hitters with his deceptive fastball and sweeping curveball. He stayed ahead of the hitters all day (reaching a full count on just three of 24 batters faced), and demonstrated the maturity and intelligence of a seasoned veteran.

"He looks like he's a 20-year-old, but he doesn't act like one or pitch like one," Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "He's got a real feel for pitching."

Ankiel was selected by the Cardinals out of high school in the second round of the 1997 draft. Several teams passed on Ankiel, thanks to fears of a huge signing bonus. (Shock of all shocks: Ankiel’s agent was Scott Boras.) When the Cards nabbed him for a cool $2.5 million bonus, he was assigned directly to Class A ball. In two minor league seasons, Ankiel struck out 222 batters in just 161 innings. Batters hit just .191 against him during that stretch.

Last season, the Cards brought him up for a couple cups of coffee. Ankiel made nine appearances, with four starts. He struck out 39 batters in 33 innings, posting a 3.27 ERA. Not bad for a 19-year old in his inaugural major league campaign.

Keenly aware of their young gem, the Cardinals resisted the temptation of promoting him to the majors for a full season too early. With the off-season acquisitions of veteran arms Daryl Kile, Pat Hentgen and Andy Benes (Benes returned to St. Louis after two seasons in Arizona), the pressure is off Ankiel to become the staff ace. On several clubs, he could be at least a #2 starter, #1 for some teams. For the Cards, he’s a pleasant addition to a solid core of established starters.

Ankiel’s bread-and-butter pitch is his fastball, which isn’t uncommon. What "is" uncommon is his command of that fastball within all areas of the strike zone. Ankiel works the entire plate, and is not afraid to jam hitters inside.

The velocity on his fastball is above average (mid 90’s), which isn’t exactly Randy Johnson. But the movement on the pitch makes it seem like three or four different pitches. He compliments this with a big sweeping curveball and improved slider. He’s not afraid to throw his curve on the first pitch to a batter, which indicates extreme confidence.

Against the Brewers, Ankiel rarely offered two consecutive breaking balls, except against Milwaukee slugger Jeromy Burnitz. Although he walked Burnie the first time he faced him, what intrigued me most were Ankiel’s adjustments the second and third times around in the Milwaukee batting order. Case in point was the 5^th inning. He started Burnitz with a two high, inside fastballs. He then threw three consecutive curveballs, with Burnitz fouling off two of them. With the count 1-2, Ankiel fired another fastball past the swinging Burnitz for strike three. This told me the following about Ankiel: A) He knows how to work individual hitters differently, and B) He realizes the importance of varying his pitch sequence to the same hitter in different at-bats. Of course, this is all moot without proper control. Early returns show that control isn’t a problem for him.

You often hear this phrase about a young pitcher: "He can throw, but can’t pitch." That concept was illustrated nicely by the contrast of Ankiel and the Brewers’ starting pitcher Valerio De Los Santos in last Sunday’s matchup. Like Ankiel, De Los Santos is young and has a strong, lively arm. But unlike Ankiel (at least in this game), De Los Santos failed to mix locations with his fastball. Worse yet, he never trusted a second pitch. Even elite pitchers like Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson need secondary pitches.

What De Los Santos offered was little more than batting practice. Facing a potent lineup such as the Cardinals, the results were predictable. St. Louis torched De Los Santos for eight runs (all earned) and five homers in 3-2/3 innings of work. In all fairness to De Los Santos, he was shoved into an injury-decimated Brewer rotation, and is regarded as the Brewers’ "closer" of the future. On this day, De Los Santos was merely a thrower. Ankiel was a pitcher.

To combat the lefy Ankiel, first-year Milwaukee skipper Davey Lopes flooded his lineup with seven righties. The lone southpaws were Burnitz and De Los Santos. Only Henry Blanco and James Mouton had reasonable success against Ankiel. Blanco collected two hits, including a solo home run. Mouton coaxed an RBI double and walk out of Ankiel. The Brewers posed a threat in the third inning with one run, two hits, and a walk. But in the fourth, Ankiel struck out the side, issuing only two balls the entire inning.

With his pitch count at 102 (67 for strikes), Ankiel was relieved by Heathcliff Slocumb to start the seventh. The Cards led comfortably, 9-2, and manager Tony LaRussa saw little benefit in leaving Ankiel in the game.

As painful as it was to watch the Brewers lose, watching Rick Ankiel pitch was a treat. In this home run, high-scoring era, such a performance is rare - even among "veteran" pitchers. To see a 20-year old dominate major league hitters is extra special.

Any comments, criticisms, or condemnations on this sports column or previous ones? Feel free to email me at andydan@milwpc.com