The answer, of course, is that they both started out pitching and then went on to become an every day player. Stan Musial started out as a pitcher in the minor leagues but came to MLB as an every day player and never pitched. Is Rick Ankiel the second best player to make the transition from pitcher to every day player in MLB or can you come up with others?
2007-11-01 06:33:38 · 18 answers · asked by Frizzer 7 in Sports ➔ Baseball
You are missing the point of the question. With the exception of Babe Ruth has anyone other than Ankiel made that same transition, and if others have are any of them a better every day player than Ankiel?
2007-11-01 06:43:16 · update #1
So far through the first seven answers no one has come up with another player to compete with Ankiel for the second spot.
2007-11-01 06:52:46 · update #2
Gene: A nice pick-up with Lefty O'doul but he only pitched a total of about 70 innings over four years, he won a game and lose a game with a high ERA. However, he did come up as a pitcher.
2007-11-01 08:42:17 · update #3
Oh, man - why is it so hard for anyone to actually READ the question being asked. I don't see anything here saying Rick Ankiel is the next Babe Ruth, and I'm amazed at some of these responses.
Personally, I think Smoky Joe Wood is probably ahead of Ankiel at this point. Joe won an ERA and strikeout title, tallied up 117 victories, then became an outfielder. He wasn't a superstar, but hit over .280 for his career and twice ranked in the top 10 for RBIs. Ankiel might eventually pass him, but Wood accomplished more at the plate and on the mound than Ankiel has to this point.
I see Sisler and Rice mentioned, but I didn't think they really qualified. Rice pitched only nine games in the majors, and Sisler was never a full-time pitcher, playing at both first base and outfield as well as pitching during the 1915 season. Neither guy did anything, really, on the mound. Not that Ankiel was a mound stud, but he at least put in some innings.
2007-11-01 07:34:05 · answer #1 · answered by Craig S 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
I think I'll wait to see if Ankiel should even be mentioned in the same sentence as Ruth until he plays, I don't know, maybe at least a full season? What Ankiel did at the end of last season was rather remarkable, but I'd be willing to bet that there are other players who have also had streaks like he did.
I see that some other people have mentioned George Sisler. I find it amusing that people say he was a "pretty fair ballplayer". He is much more then that - lifetime BA of .340, single season record holder with an average of .420 in 1922 and a Hall of Famer.
I'll hold my opinion on Ankiel for a while longer. To me, he's just a rookie that had a good season. Let's see if he can continue it. as much as I think it makes for a great story, I think in the long run he will only be an above average player over the course of his career.
2007-11-01 17:00:12 · answer #2 · answered by artistictrophy@sbcglobal.net 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not as rare as you might think. 122 major-leaguers have switched from pitcher to position player in baseball history. 93 more have gone from position player to pitcher.
It's just not something that has happened much in the past half-century or more.
Here is a list of a few Major League hitters that started out as pitchers and pitched in the Majors to start their career. This is by no means considered complete.
John Montgomery Ward (HOF)
Buck Freeman
Kid Gleason
Elmer Smith
Cy Seymour
Reb Russel
Rube Bressler
Jack Graney
Lefty Good
Paul Strand
Lefty O'Doul
Babe Ruth (HOF)
George Sisler (HOF)
Roger Bresnahan (HOF)
Willie Smith
John Upham
Rick Ankiel
According to one site, Ankiel is the 32nd LEFT-HANDED pitcher to turn OUTFIELDER in the Majors.
Ankiel probably most favorably compares to O'Doul or Gleason.
Ruth was in a class by himself, as he became an everyday day hitter, not out of necessity, but rather because he was such a dominate hitter. Had he remained a pitcher his entire career he still may have made the Hall of Fame and could have been one of the best left-handed pitchers ever. We was 3-0 with 0.87 ERA in World Series games as a Red Sox hurler.
Stan Musial started his professional career as a pitcher too, but hurt his arm in the minor leagues.
Found a couple of articles on this very subject. See links below.
2007-11-01 16:41:51 · answer #3 · answered by Kent K 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Guy Hecker is a good example of what you're looking for. He started as a pitcher, then gradually went to first base and outfield. His career was from 1882 to 1890. In 1884 he won 52 games with an ERA of 1.80. In 1886 he led the American Association with a .341 BA. The AA was a major league at the time. A more recent example is Clint Hartung, who played from 1947 to 1952 for the New York Giants. Around the turn of the century there were numerous examples of players playing both pitcher and other positions, ampng them are Johnny Cooney, Jack Stivetts, Pud Galvin, Johnny Mitchell, and Walter Johnson.
2007-11-01 14:37:32 · answer #4 · answered by Andre P 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
George Sisler had a kind of similar trek as Stan Musial.
Smokey Joe Wood became a regular outfielder for a few years during the 1920's after he blew his arm out pitching.
Edit: Are you sure about that? George Sisler was a pretty fair player in his day...and Joe Wood had a few good years as an everyday player, so that's something for Ankiel to strive for...
Sam Rice was another Hall of Famer who had a pitching background before becoming a regular outfielder, too.
2007-11-01 13:41:06 · answer #5 · answered by Adam 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Well there are a bunch of ppl who did similar feats, not at the pro level but def. at the college level.
Mark McGwire pitched at USC, then obviously went on to be a hell of a power hitter.
Tim Wakefield came into the MLB as an outfielder, now he's obviously known as the knuckle baller.
There is more ppl who have done this than you think, just again not at the pro level, and NO ONE like Babe Ruth did it. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball with the Red Sox, and then he became the greatest hitter of all time with the Yanks.
2007-11-01 13:40:06 · answer #6 · answered by wcbaseball4 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
They both hit left-handed. And they both pitched in the Majors... that's about it, and about all.
You say that I'm (or we are) missing the point -- I'm just reading what you presented. Babe Ruth would have been a 1st ballot Hall of Famer as a PITCHER, if he'd have continued... Do you have any idea how many WINS that Babe Ruth had as a ML pitcher? (to even put him in the same sentence with an Ankiel is laughable, once you do look them up). Ankiel fell apart on the postseason stage -- Babe Ruth excelled in it, and thus was the most desirable player for the NY Yankees to try and acquire.
COME ON, NOW. You're clearly a Cardinals fan.. and you don't know who George Sisler is? -- how can you project/talk about a Rick Ankiel as anything, vs. the history of the Game.. when you don't know about the history of the CARDINALS alone, and the background of the their #2 ir not #1 hitting Hall of Famer, arguably, after Stan Musial. Hey look, I like Rick Ankiel and his story -- but, let's not get crazy ok?
2007-11-01 13:36:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 5⤋
I can't come up with others except for some novelty situations. Tony Cloninger, a pitcher for the Braves and Reds was one of only a few players to hit 2 grand slams in one game. He was one of the Braves top pinch hitters if you count that, but other than that I can't think of anyone else.
2007-11-01 14:27:00 · answer #8 · answered by Elliott N 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
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2014-09-23 04:46:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bob Lemon went the other way, an OK outfielder who became a great pitcher.
2007-11-01 15:09:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋