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Rick Ankiel | Outfielder

Team: New York Mets
Age / DOB:  (33) / 7/19/1979
Ht / Wt:  6'1' / 208
Bats / Throws: Left / Left
Contract: view contract details
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Latest News

Recent News

Rick Ankiel has elected to become a free agent.
Ankiel was designated for assignment by the Mets last week after batting just .182/.239/.364 with 25 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. The 33-year-old former pitcher will presumably try to latch on with a new organization. Jun 13 - 9:22 AM

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Player News

Date:
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Mets designated OF Rick Ankiel for assignment.

The 33-year-old went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Saturday in his final game with the Mets and is now batting just .188/.235/.422 with 60 strikeouts in 45 games this season between New York and Washington. He will try to latch on as a backup outfielder with a new team.
Jun 8 - 8:28 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Rick Ankiel went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's loss to the Marlins.

Ankiel has predictably slowed down after his hot start with New York, collecting just two hits in his last 22 at-bats. Still, the Mets figure to keep running him out there in center field against right-handers for the time being. He's not really an option outside of deeper NL-only leagues.
May 31 - 9:51 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Rick Ankiel tripled and doubled twice against the Reds on Wednesday.

The triple should have been a double, too, but Xavier Paul fell down in left field twice on the play. Ankiel is now 10-for-31 with seven extra-base hits as a member of the Mets. It probably won't last, but it's nice to see him doing well. His career was in danger of being over when the Astros let him go.
May 22 - 4:23 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Rick Ankiel went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer Saturday against the Cubs.

Ankiel is 6-for-20 (.300) with two homers, four RBI and six strikeouts since joining the Mets earlier this week. The 33-year-old is not going to hit for a high batting average, but he has enough pop to be useful in NL-only leagues as long as he gets regular at-bats in center field.
May 18 - 4:06 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Rick Ankiel went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI but the Mets fell to the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Ankiel singled in the top of the second inning and then hit a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the seventh. But the Mets wound up losing their third straight game in St. Louis. Ankiel is 2-for-8 since joining New York.
May 15 - 11:30 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Mets manager Terry Collins said Monday that Rick Ankiel and Juan Lagares will platoon in center field.

Ankiel will start against right-handed pitchers while Lagares will play against southpaws. We're not expecting much in the way of batting average, but Ankiel could provide enough pop to hold some value in NL-only formats. This arrangement could cut into at-bats for Jordany Valdespin, though Collins has talked about using him at second base if Daniel Murphy continues to struggle.
Related: Juan Lagares
Source: Adam Rubin on Twitter
May 13 - 4:30 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Mets signed OF Rick Ankiel to a one-year contract.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman was the first to report that the two sides were talking. Ankiel batted just .194 with 35 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances before getting released last week by the Astros, but he has some power and a big arm. The 33-year-old should see semi-regular playing time in a New York outfield that lacks talent. He's starting in center field Monday night against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Source: Adam Rubin on Twitter
May 13 - 3:52 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Mets are "in talks on a deal" with outfielder Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel was released by the Astros last week after batting .194 with a .231 on-base percentage and 35 strikeouts over 65 plate appearances. He did hit five homers, and could add some needed pop to the Mets' roster.
Related: Mets
Source: CBS Sports
May 13 - 3:17 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Astros released OF Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. While the 33-year-old had five homers, he was hitting just .194/.231/.484 with an ugly 35/3 K/BB ratio. It's telling that the worst team in baseball didn't have use for him anymore, so he could struggle to find another opportunity with an MLB club.
May 9 - 4:44 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Astros designated OF Rick Ankiel for assignment.

Ankiel has banged out five home runs this season, but he's hit an ugly .194/.231/.484 overall and has a 3/35 BB/K ratio. He'll be able to catch on elsewhere, but he might have to work his way up through the minors first. The Astros also designated Fernando Martinez for assignment Monday.
May 6 - 6:19 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Rick Ankiel hit his fifth home run of the season Monday against the Mariners.

Ankiel accounted for all of the Astros' offense on the night, as he took Carter Capps deep for a solo shot in the seventh. The veteran outfielder is hitting just .237 with an ugly 24/0 K/BB ratio, but five of his nine hits have been home runs. He also holds a .921 OPS. Keep running him out there in AL-only leagues, though the rebuilding Astros could change course at any time.
Apr 22 - 11:30 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Rick Ankiel belted his fourth homer of the season, helping to power the Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Indians on Friday.

The homer came as part of back-to-back shots with J.D. Martinez off Brett Myers in the second inning. After his 1-for-3 night, Ankiel has the unusual .194/.194/.613 line on the season. He has just six hits, with four of them being home runs, and a double as well. He’s now driven in 10 runs on the season, and could be worth a look in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues as a cheap source of power.
Apr 19 - 11:20 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Rick Ankiel delivered his second pinch-hit homer of the season Wednesday in the ninth inning against the A's.

Ankiel took Grant Balfour deep for his third homer in 28 at-bats this season. Unfortunately, he has just two other hits along with the homers and a crazy 20/0 K/BB ratio. It'll be interesting to see how long he lasts in Houston.
Apr 17 - 7:05 PM
Rick Ankiel - OF - Mets

Pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel delivered a three-run homer off Derek Lowe in the bottom of the sixth as the Astros beat the Rangers 8-2 on Sunday.

Astros manager Bo Porter has said Ankiel is his regular right fielder, but he still had him on the bench against a lefty tonight. No matter, Ankiel delivered his first ever Opening Day hit after replacing Brandon Barnes in the sixth, and it left the yard for the first home run of the 2013 season. Lowe had just replaced Matt Harrison in the game, as Ron Washington for some reason bypassed all of his better righties. Ankiel will definitely be in the lineup for the final two games of the series.
Mar 31 - 11:19 PM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1John Buck
2Anthony Recker
1B1Josh Satin
2B1Daniel Murphy
2Justin Turner
SS1Ruben Tejada
2Omar Quintanilla
3B1David Wright
LF1Lucas Duda
CF1Kirk Nieuwenhuis
2Juan Lagares
3Jordany Valdespin
RF1Marlon Byrd
2Collin Cowgill
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Jon Niese
2Matt Harvey
3Shaun Marcum
4Dillon Gee
5Jeremy Hefner
6Zack Wheeler
7Jenrry Mejia
8Johan Santana
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Bobby Parnell
2Frank Francisco
3Brandon Lyon
4David Aardsma
5LaTroy Hawkins
6Scott Rice
7Scott Atchison
8Jeurys Familia
9Josh Edgin
10Carlos Torres