Wild Thing is back, this time as 27-year-old OF

Some players' careers explode at different ages. For Rick Ankiel, it just happens to be two different ages and two entirely different careers.

At 20, he was one of the prized left-handed power arms in baseball. At 27, he's back, this time as a power-hitting outfielder.

Ankiel, who turns 28 on Aug. 23, was hitting .267 with 32 homers and 89 RBI in 102 games at Triple-A Memphis before he got the call, recall, to the big leagues Thursday. Owned in just four percent of CBS SportsLine's Fantasy leagues, Ankiel will be a popular addition in all NL-only and, once again, long-term keeper leagues.

The homers are nice, but Ankiel will need to continue to prove himself a capable big-league hitter. If he does, he might even become noteworthy in mixed leagues.

From erratic starting pitcher to slugging outfielder, Rick Ankiel has run the gamut. (US Presswire)

Ankiel will need to beat out recently hot Juan Encarnacion in right field, or streaky Chris Duncan in left. It is doubtful he can steal at-bats in center. Turning a former melted-down pitcher into an outfielder is one thing; turning him into a center fielder to replace a perennial Gold Glove winner is something else.

And, he still needs to learn some patience and bat control. He has struck out 90 times and had a .314 on-base percentage in 389 Triple-A at-bats.

"I think when you watch him take batting practice and he hits it, it clicks that he's got legitimate power," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Wednesday. "He's not doing anything that's flash in the pan. Can he make that kind of consistent contact here? We'll see, but he definitely has that kind of power and a live stroke."

But he has come a long way since he was merely a good-hitting pitcher. He has a .207 batting average in the major leagues (18-for-87) with two homers and nine RBI. Now he's trying to be a good-hitting hitter.

Ankiel won 11 games and struck out 194 batters in 175 innings as a 20-year-old rookie in 2000, but during a disastrous first postseason start, he became the first major league pitcher in over 100 years to throw five wild pitches in one inning. All told, he threw nine wild pitches in four innings during the 2000 playoffs, which led to his future pitching struggles, a Tommy John surgery and his eventual decision to become a merely a strong-throwing outfielder.

Following a 1-for-21 start in 2005, he wound up batting a combined .259 with 21 homers and 75 RBI in 85 games split between Class A and Double-A, then spent the 2006 season on the DL after hurting his left knee during a Cardinals intrasquad game early in spring training.

Now he's back in the big leagues and finding himself back on Fantasy rosters ... at 27, our favorite age for a breakthrough. We wouldn't put it past this talent to pop some homers and help you in deeper Fantasy leagues.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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Baby talk

Russell Loomis: Is Joba Chamberlain destined to be a starter or a closer in the future for the Yankees?

Emack: Well, considering he is up at 21 right now, he's nothing more than a middle reliever. If he excels in that role, it will put him in the Pitch-22: good enough to start, too valuable in relief. Then, once Mariano Rivera is ready to retire -- the Yankees likely won't let him go elsewhere, nor will they demote him to middle relief -- Chamberlain will be a candidate to close. That's a year or two away. Waiting for a closer for two years is not a great strategy in Fantasy leagues.

Richard: I have been offered Clay Buchholz for Joba Chamberlain. What should I do?

Emack: Assuming you're in a standard Fantasy league, a starting pitcher prospect for an elite team is more valuable that a middle reliever. Take the deal. Chamberlain's call-up came sooner, but it will keep him from being a viable Fantasy contributor before Buchholz can be. Buchholz is arguably the better pitching prospect if all things were equal anyway.

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