Rick Ankiel's Golden Outfield Arm

There have been some fantastic arms in the outfield. Older folks speak fondly of Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays, and how they made circus catches, turned, and fire the ball back into the infield. Growing up, I got used to seeing Ken Griffey Jr, Vladimir Guerrero and Ichiro throwing out runners at home from deep in the outfield. The question now could be, who has the best outfield arm in the major leagues? I know my vote. It's Rick Ankiel.

Sitting in Section 109 of Nationals Park last night, in the 6th inning, Stephen Strasburg was in a jam. Bases were loaded with no outs, and Astros' leadoff man Jordan Schaffer was on 3rd. He is a speedster, having already stolen 5 bases this year. Any ball to the outfield should have easily scored him. But then Rick Ankiel did this.



It was a strike. Wilson Ramos didn't have to move from home. Jordan Schaffer didn't try to score, and would have been out by a mile. The entire stadium stood a cheered a throw from the outfield. It was insane. It might have been a better pitch than he had been able to throw when he was a starting pitcher, but it came from 300 feet away from the plate. Ankiel's arm is a gem, and is extremely important to the Nats.

It isn't like this is the first time Ankiel has been able to pull off an impressive throw. After essentially forgetting how to pitch, Ankiel went to the minors and re-invented himself as an outfielder. He came back to the majors with the Cardinals, and while his offense has been up and down, his arm has always been impressive. His two outfield assists against the Rockies when he was in St. Louis made everyone take notice:



I am not the only person in awe of Rick's arm. ESPN baseball guru Tim Kurkjian is in love with it, and thinks it might be the best lefty arm he has ever seen in the outfield. That is high praise from a smart man who knows his baseball history.

I, clearly, am not an expert like Kurkjian. I am just a fan. All I know is that, as long as Rick Ankiel is patrolling the outfield of Nationals Park, I will enjoy watching him throw lasers back to the infield.