Over the last six years, Rick Ankiel has had it pretty rough.

After a quick trip through… Over the last six years, Rick Ankiel has had it pretty rough.

After a quick trip through the minor leagues, Ankiel joined the Cardinals in 1999 as a starting pitcher. He was 19.

The Floridian flame threw a steaming-hot fastball and paired it with a knee-wobbling curve.

He became a full-time starting pitcher for the Cardinals in 2000, winning 11 games and securing his young phenom status.

Then something happened.

In the first game of the Cardinals’ National League Divisional Series against the Atlanta Braves in 2000, Ankiel lost his location on his pitches.

He started walking batters and missed the strike zone so badly that it seemed like fans were watching a little league meltdown.

He sailed five wild pitches past catcher Carlos Hernandez in the third inning. He walked six, four in that same dismal third inning.

In the NL Championship Series against the Mets, Ankiel imploded again, tossing two wild pitches and walking three in two-thirds of an inning.

It was painful to watch. The poor guy just couldn’t get it right.

He lost his status as a pitching phenom. He lost his status as the next best pitcher in the Cardinals franchise.

But when the fan turned off and Ankiel cleaned up, things changed.

Suddenly, the rough going improved.

He went back to the minor leagues and, after his then-calmed wildness reappeared, became an outfielder.

That decision came in 2005, a season in which Ankiel smacked 22 home runs in Single- and Double-A.

After sitting out the 2006 season to recover from knee surgery, Ankiel stormed back into the headlines, crushing 32 home runs in 102 games for Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate Memphis.

Then the Cardinals called Ankiel up on Aug. 9.

Then Ankiel hit a three-run home run. Two days later, he slapped two more home runs. Now he has six home runs and 20 RBIs, and he’s a key member of the Cardinals’ charge back into playoff contention.

“Short of winning the World Series [in 2006], that’s the happiest I’ve ever seen our club,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told StLouisCardinals.com after Ankiel’s first game as a Cardinals outfielder. “[Ankiel] is such a special young man. What a moment. This guy has shown so much character.”

Six years ago, Ankiel might have been one of the key parts in the Cardinals’ demise in the 2000 NLCS.

He was the laughing stock of the league.

Now, he’s the feel-good story of the year.

He might never again be a pitching phenom, but I don’t think he minds.

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