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Sunday, March.31/2013

Ankiel could be used in any of the Outfield Positions as a PH/defensive replacement even if he is not in the Starting Lineup for the Astros, Ankiel only batted .236/.292/.669 with the Nats in 2 years but was slugging .411 – with 17 XBH (5 HRs, 10-2B and 2 3B ) in just 158 AB during the 2012 campaign.  The Nats released him near the end of June after Jayson Werth returned to the lineup and Bryce Harper was called up. Injuries has plagued him for the majority of the 2009 – 2010 years. At age 33, does he have any baseball left?  The Astros fans will soon find out.

By Richard Perez (Astros Correspondent visit the StrosBros Website here): Follow @yokorick

In his tenth overall MLB season, Rick Ankiel is on his fourth MLB team after struggling to stay in the Majors since 2010, being designated as a back-up outfielder with the Royals, Braves, and finally the Nationals. As a Non-Roster Invitee, Ankiel has found a home with the Houston Astros organization.

It seems clear that with his explosion towards the end of Spring Training that he could potentially earn a spot on the Astros 25 Man Roster. More than likely we will see Ankiel be platooning with J.D. Martinez in Left Field, with the former Starting Pitcher taking the Starting job, and having the young and inexperienced Martinez under him and learning from the ten-year veteran, Ankiel.

Don’t Run On Rick Ankiel – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is Advised:

Being acquired by the Atlanta Braves for the end of 2010 for their playoff push – Ankiel found his swing. In San Francisco during game 2 of the 2010 NLDS, Ankiel crushed a Home Run into McCovey’s cove for his first ever Post Season HR. Only Barry Bonds and he hold that distinction of a ‘COVE HIT’ ever in AT&T Park during the Post Season in Giants History! He posted similar regular season numbers in 2010 as he had in 2009, with 6 HRs and 24 RBI in 211 AB.  He had come over from the Kansas City Royals at the Trade Deadline time.

At the tender age of 33, Ankiel is no spring chicken, and it makes me kind of scratch my head why he would be here with Houston during spring training, when the Astros are in an obvious rebuilding phase and a major youth movement. Obviously he could be a mentor, but with random trading, and anybody being available to trade during last year, it does not make sense to have Ankiel.

The Astros’ unique situation is really unpredictable, because not even the higher ups know what to do, although, I feel that the guy could potentially have a positive impact on the Astros young organization. Whether or not Ankiel remains in Houston for the long term, he could have a lasting impact on the young players on the Astros team.

Which in many ways could be good because the Astros are currently are trying to set a foundation for the team to follow in the years to come.

Ankiel has an absolute laser for an arm and would be sure to dazzle the fans at Minute Maid Park by showing it off.  As a role model for the younger players, the measure of having a veteran such as this man from Florida can influence the work ethic and determination of several others.

Ankiel, who has seen the ups and downs of the business of Major League Baseball, can be a major influence on the impressionable youth of the Houston Astros. Regardless the length of his with the Astros, along with Carlos Pena, the group of veterans on the Astros can be sort of leaders for the young squad.

I feel that Ankiel is the personification of perseverance, he could have easily walked away from the game in 2002 when he fizzled out as a pitcher, but instead he fought back going through the entire Cardinals Minor League system as an Outfielder.

The fact that he was able to overcome his adversity and fight his way back to do what he loves speaks to me, it affects me, imagine how it can affect the guys surrounding him everyday in the clubhouse.

Rick Ankiel has hit for a 3 Slash Line of .415/.479/1.260 in 41 AB during 2013 Spring Training. He has blasted 3 HRs and driven in 6 RBI.

I can see Ankiel as having a small, unnoticed resurgence in Houston, mainly going unnoticed due to the fact that the Astros are not necessarily the hottest ticket in baseball at the moment, but nonetheless, Ankiel is still able to do what he loves at the highest level possible.

Special Notes:  There are only 2 players that have gone from a Pitcher to a Position Player – and hit 50 Home Runs in their Career – and also started a game in the Post Season as a Pitcher and a Position Player.  One of them is Rick Ankiel.  The other was some guy they called the Babe .

With Spring Training winding down, the Astros will have some tough decisions to make coming out of camp. We here at ‘Stros Bros will try our best to keep you up to date. Follow us on Twitter, “like” us on Facebook, and leave us a comment!

At Age 19, Ankiel finished 2nd in ROY voting, 7th in Strikeouts and ERA, 2nd in K’s/Per 9 IP and Hits/Per 9 IP in 2000. He threw 94-97 MPH, however a mental block plagued him to the point where he changed into an OF. His best year as a hitting pro was 2008 – where he hit for a 3 Slash Line of .264/.337/.843 – with 25 HRs and 71 RBI in just 413 AB. If you combined his 1st 2 years of AB as a Positional Player, he had 585 AB and had cracked 36 HRs, driven in 110 RBI, scored 96 Runs and clubbed 37 Doubles.

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners.***

A big thank-you goes out to our ‘Astros Correspondent’ Richard Perez for preparing today’s featured article.  Richard is the senior staff writer at torotimes.com here and owns the Astros websites the StrosBros here.   Richard resides in Corpus Christi, TX, Equestria.  Richard has followed the team from the Houston Astrodome, all the way to the opening of Enron field – now called Minute Maid Park. Follow Richard  on Twitter and talk about the games of Baseball Follow @yokorick

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