Rick Ankiel May Want To Open Hand Slap A Television
by Alxfritz on Apr 21, 2009 9:31 PM EDT
58 comments
This is going to be my least informative fan post of all time, but it has to be said:
Since July 29th of 2008, Rick Ankiel is hitting .173/.281/.279 (.560 OPS) in 39 games.
In 2008, after a horrendous August in which it was clear to everyone not named Tony La Russa that he was hurt, Dick underwent abdominal surgery on September 19th. He has not been right since then.
If someone named Barden, Barton, or Freese put up these numbers, they would be enjoying some fried catfish and ribs in Memphis before you could say Pete Incaviglia. If he was a reliever performing like this (not named Isringhausen) he would have lost his previously unnamed role in the bullpen and been put in an even more unnamed role after a week.
But, because he's Rick Ankiel and the incredible human interest story which comes with him, he's out there starting about every two out of three games.
What Rick Ankiel has done at the plate and in the outfield is completely and totally unaccaptable, and what the Cardinals are doing with Ankiel is equally as egregious. I realize we all know he's in a funk; but did you know he's in a .560 OPS funk? And has been for almost nine months? It's time to send him down and get him healthy. Putting him out there even every other day is no longer fair to him, nor to the team.
Send him down to work on things and, more importantly, get healthy. You don't need a real reason to send him down, just make one up. You used to do it all the time.
He still ain't right. I know it, you know it, Bob Dole knows it, and the American people know it.
2 recs |
58 comments
Email
Print
Comments
to say he has not been right since the surgery
is to not really add anything but uncertainty beyond what his 2009 numbers say. After all, he tattooed the ball in Spring Training, even showing what we were all sure was a New and Improved Approach.
by DanUpBaby on Apr 21, 2009 9:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Who was he hitting in ST
and what pitches?
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
by Alxfritz on Apr 21, 2009 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
he had a fine spring, sir
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Apr 21, 2009 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
but against whom? MLB or AA pitchers? And what pitchers were they throwing him? I honestly want to know
If we’re just going by ST results, than Ludwick and KMcC suck and Greene is going to hit .400.
Hopefully he’s actually coming out of this, but I’m not unconcerned by one decent game.
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
by Alxfritz on Apr 21, 2009 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Um, who cares?
If he was hurt, he wouldn’t be able to hit AA pitchers. He’s just not seeing the ball well right now and he’s pressing trying to get out of the funk that he’s in. That’s part of the reason Tony’s playing him so much, because if you bench a guy who’s pressing he’s just going to press more to get back in the lineup.
I agree that he shouldn’t be playing centerfield because Colby is a better centerfielder and has shown promise with the bat, but Rick did crush the ball in spring training — he’s just gotten off to a horrible start.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
by fourstick on Apr 22, 2009 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think the two hits tonight might help his average a little bit.
Chuck Norris bows to no man...but he does bow to The Mang.
by miniboscorino on Apr 21, 2009 10:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Make that 3 hits.
Chuck Norris bows to no man...but he does bow to The Mang.
by miniboscorino on Apr 21, 2009 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ankiel has not not gotten a hit since I posted this.
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
by Alxfritz on Apr 21, 2009 10:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
needless to say,
we all appreciate your psychological services.
by DanUpBaby on Apr 21, 2009 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've had a serious reverse jinx going on lately
Have I mentioned that there’s no way Franklin will nail this down?
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
by Alxfritz on Apr 21, 2009 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
but he now suppors a nice porn stache
I can't believe i gave up a homerun to that punch and judy hitter-major league 2
by punchinjudy on Apr 21, 2009 11:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Rec'd for the mojo thing
and the Bob Dole thing (no, not THAT Bob Dole thing!).
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
by mattyfrommo on Apr 21, 2009 11:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What did the five fangaz...say to the TV?
SLAP!
I've got one foot on the platform, the other foot on the train
I'm going back to New Orleans, to wear that ball and chain
by jd is legend on Apr 21, 2009 11:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I liked Barton's human interest story better
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Apr 22, 2009 1:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I am not interested in humans.
I guess that’d worked better coming from Azru…
Because chicks dig the intentional base on balls.
by Felonius_Monk on Apr 22, 2009 4:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Disagree
If someone named Barden, Barton, or Freese put up these numbers, they would be enjoying some fried catfish and ribs in Memphis before you could say Pete Incaviglia. If he was a reliever performing like this (not named Isringhausen) he would have lost his previously unnamed role in the bullpen and been put in an even more unnamed role after a week.
Barden, Barton, and Freese combined have hit fewer than 1/3 of the homers that Ankiel hit in the first half of the season last year. He proved he belonged last April and May, he’s just got to get out of the funk he’s in to start this year. The problem is that the other outfielders we have on the roster have been playing very well so far, so his non-production sticks out like a sore thumb. Me? I’d rather have 3 OF playing well with a guy who hit 25 homers in a slump than have the reverse. He’s going to break out at some point, and then we’ll have four productive outfielders and be discussing about who should play and when to maximize outfield production.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
by fourstick on Apr 22, 2009 9:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
wow...i cant believe everyone is killing Alxfritz so bad
This situation is similar to Duncan last year. Coming of the same hernia surgery Duncan was a complete waste of space at the plate and people were outraged that Duncan was still getting AB’s and screaming for his demosion to Memphis.
I’m not agreeing one way or the other with the original post, but to see everyone disagreeing so strongly seems abit odd.
Milt Thompson FTW!
by gossard56 on Apr 22, 2009 9:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The differences:
1) Duncan had options, so it was easier to demote him.
2) While Ankiel may not be a GG, he is significantly better in the field than Duncan, so at least he still provides something while he is in there (though not more than Rasmus would supply).
3) Ankiel doesn’t play for his daddy (despite LaRussa’s man-love for him), and many people seem to resent Duncan for that.
You are right. There are striking similarities. They are two guys with injury problems and have yet to prove they can produce worthwhile numbers over the course of an entire year, much less year after year. Both would seem to have a benefit of the doubt with the manager that other players don’t get (see Brian Barton).
by etp_stl on Apr 22, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
4) Ankiel probably isn't injured
So his slump is just a slump
St. Louis Cardinals... defying win expectancy since 2008
by vivaelpujols on Apr 22, 2009 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Small problem - No options
Ankiel wouldn’t pass through waivers so either Rick plays out of the slump or sits on the bench. Don’t forget about Skips terrible start in 2008 which he was able to turn around. Hopefully, last night was the start of the end of this slump. He even had a hit after the 7th inning.
by ubeddie on Apr 22, 2009 11:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Or he goes ont he DL
and rehabs in the minors.
Hopefully he just started the year in an extended slump and he’s coming out of it, but it just reeks of Duncan in 08.
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
by Alxfritz on Apr 22, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
FWIW
Duncan in ’08 had an OPS of about .930 (.311/.418/.511) on the 22nd of April. But he had an awful spring and obviously (in hindsight) had something wrong with him that required additional surgery, and it was obvious from watching Duncan in april ’08 that he was not a .930 true-talent player at the time.
- "I went at it and didn’t slow down, so it kind of bounced off me." -Lil' Dunc
by SleepyCA on Apr 22, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow, good find
Look at that .200 ISO
I've got one foot on the platform, the other foot on the train
I'm going back to New Orleans, to wear that ball and chain
by jd is legend on Apr 22, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sit Ank for the time being
His issues have been mental. It’s obvious that he can’t hit much in the way of offspeed stuff, but lately he’s swung at everything. I didn’t watch the game last night, but it sounds like Ank had a good rebounding game.
Welcome to Baseball Heaven.
by zoomzoomj88 on Apr 22, 2009 1:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He sucks again!
(since a one game sample told me he was fine, a one game sample shall contradict.)
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
by Alxfritz on Apr 22, 2009 10:37 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Rick giveth
and Rick taketh away.
Classic underachiever.
by spants on Apr 22, 2009 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blast from the past
I once remember a guy who came up from the minors, not with the ballyhoo and the hoopla of our own Magnum PI Ankiel (an ode to the ’stache). This guy came up from the minors and hit with power and average, but only for a while. You see, when you are a dead red hitter it is only a matter of time before pitcher catch on. This other Cardinal I speak of began to peter out when pitchers began to realize that if you throw breaking balls, the hitter looked like a little leaguer.
By now some of you may be realizing the former Cardinal of which I speak. John Rodriguez. He came up with a burst and flamed out fast because he could not hit a breaking ball. Ankiel came up fast and I believe is in the process of flaming out fast because he cannot hit a breaking ball.
by mcgrathp on Apr 23, 2009 12:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Actually,
Rick hits mistake breaking balls really well. He is having a hard time catching up to fastballs right now. He’s always gonna be the kind of hitter to chase sliders out of the zone. It’s not that big of an issue if he’s hitting other pitches.
Classic underachiever.
by spants on Apr 23, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I'm not seeing him missing stuff far away and down.
It’s that he’s missing the FB. Pretty sure he went down swinging on a fat pitch last night.
Space.
It's a problem we face.
So we never go anywhere.
We just stay in one place.
by hazel on Apr 23, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
“actually, Rick hits mistake breaking balls really well” – Hraboski and Carpenter say that every time he comes up. They always say “throw a good breaking ball and Ankiel will not hit it, but throw a mistake and he will make you pay.” My question, and my response to your posting, is that WHO DOESN’T HIT BAD BREAKING BALLS WELL. As the saying goes, hang it and bang it. Any big league hitter can hit a bad breaking ball/mistake breaking ball well. Hell, Luiz Ordaz could hit a bad breaking ball. What makes a hitter good is the ability to handle good breaking balls. Ankiel cannot do that
by mcgrathp on Apr 23, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
actually, you're wrong.
ankiel’s career ops v. power pitchers (i.e, primarily fastball throwers): .684
ankiel’s career ops v. “finesse” pitchers: .938
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
by tom s. on Apr 23, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dont give me that garbage. The ratio to unicorns to leprechauns in St. Louis is 13.25 to 7.1. See I can throw out stats too without a link.
If your gonna throw out stats beyond common knowledge, give me a link please.
by mcgrathp on Apr 23, 2009 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thought
this was interesting.
I don’t think it’s an accident that Rick is seeing fewer curves and changes and a higher percentage of fastballs.
Classic underachiever.
by spants on Apr 23, 2009 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the stat post. Interesting stuff.
In general he has looked terrible at the plate. I think he has made his worst, most awkward hacks at some breaking balls.
But maybe that is because he is getting more FB and cannot catch up. Because he cannot catch up to the FB he is sitting on the FB trying to get in front of it and failing to adjust to the breaking balls.
by mcgrathp on Apr 23, 2009 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The other thing
is that his swings at pitches in the zone are down nearly 10% from last season. He’s watching too many pitches.
Classic underachiever.
by spants on Apr 23, 2009 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
don't be a jerk.
it’s the obscure site baseball-reference.com
A “that’s interesting, where did you find that?” would have been a lot nicer.
Lose the attitude if you want to get along. And you’ll look less like you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
by tom s. on Apr 23, 2009 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Actually
Baseball-Reference defines power pitchers as pitchers who strike out or walk more than 28% of batters faced; and finesse pitchers as pitchers who strike out or walks less than 24% of batters faced.
So I went to FanGraphs to see if “power pitchers” actually threw more off speed pitches than finesse pitchers. I downloaded the stats of all pitches in 2008 who threw at least 160 innings last year. I then sorted them by their K+BB%. It turns out that the players who qualified as power pitchers, actually threw a slightly less percentage of fastballs (57.9%) than the pitchers who qualified as finesse guys (58.7%).
St. Louis Cardinals... defying win expectancy since 2008
by vivaelpujols on Apr 23, 2009 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i'm not sure why you'd limit it to 160 IP, since we're talking about ankiel's actual
stats — he did face lots of relievers. and you’d eliminate in your sample size a lot of the pitchers who primarily throw fastballs (closers, e.g.). and any starting pitcher must throw a lot of non-fastballs to get by. it’s not surprising that if you limit the sample size to long-haul starters you’d get the same group of pitches.
running it for everybody at 30 IP or above, there’s a significantly higher ratio of fastballs for power pitchers (62.3%) than finesse pitchers (55.9%). There’s also a 3mph difference in average FB velocity between the two groups.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
by tom s. on Apr 24, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
another thought here -- if ankiel struggles with the late innings, perhaps his issues
are not not being “clutch”, but that he’s more likely to face the Jason Mottes of the world who throw four-seamer after four-seamer, and will struggle more against that type of pitcher.
that’s a more reasonable explanation than crediting his “psychological makeup.”
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
by tom s. on Apr 24, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
the jason mottes
and the dennys reyes’s.
- "I went at it and didn’t slow down, so it kind of bounced off me." -Lil' Dunc
by SleepyCA on Apr 25, 2009 3:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
One last thing:
Who is Carpenter? Chris Carpenter says that about Rick?
I don’t ever watch the FSMW broadcasts b/c I don’t have cable. So…
Classic underachiever.
by spants on Apr 23, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bob Carpenter is most likely to whom he is referring.
I don’t understand that a whole lot, since Bob Carpenter hasn’t announced games in St. Louis in several years. He left for Washington, D.C. a few years ago to announce their games.
by etp_stl on Apr 23, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
typo – meant Dan McLaughlin not Carpenter
by mcgrathp on Apr 23, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ankiel has never been a fastball hitter.
Even when he hit well last year, he wasn’t a fastball hitter. Traditional logic on any hitter that comes up is to throw him fastballs until he proves he can hit them. If he fails there, then there’s no need to worry about him. Then, throw him junk until he proves he has plate discipline. This approach worked pretty well early on J.D. Drew, if you remember.
Some teams skip giving the hitter the fastballs, and they figure they’ll just throw him junk assuming he’ll get himself out. Ankiel was a pitcher, so they probably assumed that he would be totally outclassed on MLB breaking and offspeed pitches. That worked well for Ankiel, since he has a slider speed bat with good plate discipline. The league has made the adjustment to see if he can hit the fastball. Right now, he’s having a hell of a time with that.
Your logic here works generally, but it doesn’t work for Ankiel.
by etp_stl on Apr 23, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
screw Rick
he’s site F’ed up my laptop.
trade him before he does any more damage MO. please.
It kind of sounds like he’s [Duncan] just running around like a puppy out there – full speed ahead in random directions. – BTown Birds Fan
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
by gdm426 on Apr 23, 2009 7:26 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
How's your mouse?
Classic underachiever.
by spants on Apr 23, 2009 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
still not working
here’s my reply to you in the other overflow thread
i guess it’s a mouse, i don’t know what else it would be called. the part that’s not working is the scrolling option, where you just run your finger up, down, left, right & it moves the page. it’s driving me nuts not being able to do that.
there are a couple other gremlins that i wont go into, but i ran every anti virus, span, malware, program we had & the ones liam posted. they found a crap load of stuff, so i’m going through trying to get everything back to normal. it’s a slow, painful process. thanks a lot Dick.
It kind of sounds like he’s [Duncan] just running around like a puppy out there – full speed ahead in random directions. – BTown Birds Fan
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
by gdm426 on Apr 23, 2009 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Are you talking about
the touchpad? My guess is that you’ll just need to reinstall the driver.
Classic underachiever.
by spants on Apr 23, 2009 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, touch pad sounds like a better description.
how would i reinstall the driver?
It kind of sounds like he’s [Duncan] just running around like a puppy out there – full speed ahead in random directions. – BTown Birds Fan
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
by gdm426 on Apr 23, 2009 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think Dick's site
is the only dick site that caused all that malware.
Hey-O!
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
by Alxfritz on Apr 23, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i plead the 5th your honor
It kind of sounds like he’s [Duncan] just running around like a puppy out there – full speed ahead in random directions. – BTown Birds Fan
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
by gdm426 on Apr 23, 2009 9:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
that's a bit personal
oh, nevermind, you meant a different mouse
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
by mattyfrommo on Apr 23, 2009 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He gets the chance while struggling because he has shown that he has a lot of power potential. Saying those others guys would be sent down is not a fair comparison, as they have not shown they can hit for significant power at the major league level.
DIz
by Dizfactorinc on Apr 24, 2009 1:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
