Richard Alexander "Rick" Ankiel (born July 19, 1979,
in Fort Pierce, Florida) is an outfielder for the
St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball.
Ankiel began his career in the majors as a starting
pitcher, posting a solid rookie season in 2000 with
11 wins and 7 losses, but during the playoffs that
year, he suddenly found himself unable to
consistently throw strikes. After a few years of
struggling with injuries and command, he abandoned
pitching in 2005 and began to work his way back up
to the major leagues as an outfielder, finally
succeeding in August 2007. He became and still is
the only active major leaguer to have played as a
full-time major-league pitcher and position player.
In early September of 2007, his homecoming was mired
in controversy when the New York Daily News revealed
that he had received shipments of human growth
hormone in 2004. Ankiel admitted to using HGH as a
therapeutic treatment soon after, and was not
disciplined by the MLB after investigation.
