Rick Ankiel is the former legendary baseball player who has left his imprint in the history of baseball. The 44 year-old pitcher and center fielder initially debuted with the St.Louis Cardinals. Later, he played for many other teams of the Major Baseball League like the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, etc.
Ankiel had a successful career since his debut in 1999. He played for a whole fifteen years before retiring in 2014. Even after announcing retirement, he wanted to return to the field, but his elbow became a hindrance. Though he is not on the field in his baseball uniform, we can still find him commenting and analyzing the games.
Biography & Wiki Quick Summary
| Popular Name | Rick Ankiel |
| Real Name | Richard Alexander Ankiel |
| Date of birth | July 19, 1979 |
| Age | 44 years old |
| Place of birth | Fort Pierce, Florida, USA |
| Father | Richard Patrick Ankiel |
| Mother | Denise Turton |
| Siblings | Not disclosed |
| Status | Married |
| Spouse | Lory Ankiel |
| Children | Two |
| Sons | Declan Ankiel and Ryker Ankiel |
| Occupation | Professional baseball player |
| Net worth | 15 Million USD |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White Caucasian |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac | Cancer |
| Height | 6 ft (185 cm) |
| Weight | 95 kgs |
| Measurement | Unknown |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Complexion | Fair |
| Instagram id | Theerickankiel |
Rick Ankiel Net Worth and Salary
Just like Randy Knorr, Ben Zobrist, and Max Scherzer, Ankiel had a successful career for fifteen years. During his career, he won many games and received many awards. Baseball gave him enormous fans as well as fortune.
Even after retiring from the field, Ankiel still kept the fortune from his job as a commentator and analyst.
To this date, he has a hefty sum of 15 Million USD as his net worth.
Height and Weight
Ankiel stands tall at 6 ft and has a very muscular body.
All the intense training that he did during his baseball days has made his body ripped. He has a well-built, well-maintained body and weighs around 95 kgs.
To this day, he has maintained his form and is in great shape.
Rick Ankiel’s Family, Hometown, and Personal Life
Ankiel was born in Fort Pierce in Florida but grew up in Port St. Lucie.
He has not shared much about his parents or his siblings. So, no one knows much about them.
He has not shared anything about his personal life before becoming a baseball sensation, but he is open about his current family.
Ankiel shares many pictures of his wife and their two sons on his social media. He and his sons are very tight, and his sons also share the love for baseball like their father.
Currently, Ankiel resides in Jupiter in Florida with his wife and sons.
Rick’s Wife and Relationship
The baseball star has been happily married to his beautiful wife, Lory, since 2006. The couple is still in love to this day and is enjoying a great married life.
Ankiel has two sons with his wife. His elder son Declan was born in 2011, and their younger one Ryker in 2012.
The couple spends a lot of time with each other and their sons.
Education
Ankiel completed his high school at Port St. Lucie High school as he grew up in Port St. Lucie.
However, after high school, he did not continue his studies as he got drafted in the Major League Baseball Draft of 1997.
Instead of going to college, Ankiel signed a contract with The St. Louis Cardinals with a hefty sum of 2.5 Million USD as a signing bonus.
Career
Ankiel started playing baseball when he was in high school and was a skilled baseball player. The USA Today also saw his game and named him the high school player of the year.
The same year, he got drafted to the St. Louis Cardinals during the MLB Draft 1997. He got picked in the second round but got a signing bonus of 2.5 Million USD.
After getting drafted, he played in the minor league and earned the title of the Minor League Player of the year for the Cardinals.
After playing in the minor league for a year, Ankiel finally debuted in the MLB in 1999.
He kept playing for the Cardinals and became the second-youngest player to pitch an entire season at the early age of twenty in 2000. In the same year, he was also named the Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.
Ankiel kept giving excellent performances and led his team to win the Central Division Championship of the National League.
Though his team won the game, almost all players got injured, except him and Darry Kile.
The two of them then got asked to start the first game of the National League Division series. He performed well in the first two series before giving a bad performance.
During the game, he lost his control in pitching. He struggled for it for a year before making his comeback in 2001.
However, he still was not his old self. So, he got sent to play in the minor league. But even in the Minor league, he couldn’t perform well and was sent to the rookie league.
Ankiel hit rock bottom, but he didn’t let it get to him. Instead, he used this as an opportunity to work on himself. He worked harder than before as both a pitcher and an occasional designated hitter.
His hard work paid off as he rose again as a great pitcher and a hitter. He received many awards like the Appalachian League Award in both Pitcher and Designated Hitter categories.
He was ready to come back to the minor league, but he suffered from an elbow injury. However, he made his comeback in 2003 in the minor league. In the same year, he received a reconstruction of his ulnar collateral ligament.
The surgery was successful, and he made his comeback even in the major league in 2004. This time, he had all issues resolved, and he was back in form. He played as a shifter for a year before switching to outfield.
He then joined the spring training of the Cardinals, where he became the favorites of the managers and scouts.
He then continued to play for the Cardinals again before moving to Kansas City Royals in 2010. His time with the Royals turned out very short as the same year he moved to Atlanta Braves.
He played for the Braves for two years before bidding farewell to the team. After this, he played for three more teams before retiring from the major league.
Once he retired, he started working as a skills coordinator for the Washington Nationals.
He took some time off for himself in 2017 and wrote his memoir The Phenomenon: Pressure, The Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life.
During this time, he even wanted to return to playing baseball. But he again had to go for elbow surgery. It permanently closed his chapter in the field.
Though his days as a baseball player were over, he still hung onto baseball. He started working in the Bally Sports Midwest as an analyst and a commentator.
