Report: Rick Ankiel considering switching back to pitching

A soft market for Rick Ankiel's services as a position player could cause the once (and possibly future) pitcher to re-take the mound.

Outfielder and former pitcher Rick Ankiel could give pitching one more chance after receiving little interest in free agency as a position player, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Strauss adds that the Cardinals are among those who could have some interest in Ankiel as a pitcher.

Ankiel, the pitcher, made 41 starts and five relief appearances for the Cardinals from 1999-2001 and five more relief appearances for the team in 2004. He is 13-10 with a 3.90 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 269 strikeouts in 242 innings in his career.

Ankiel then re-invented himself as an outfielder, playing for the Cardinals, Royals, Braves and Nationals from 2007-2012. He hit .228/.282/.411 in 171 plate appearances with the Nationals in 2012 before being released in late July.

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