Hunley: Ankiel was news even in 1998 — in Woodbridge

He couldn’t have known it at the time, but the words of my colleague Dave Utnik became foreshadowing for what would turn out to be one of Major League Baseball’s most fascinating stories.

Utnik was writing in May 1998 about teenage pitching prospect Rick Ankiel making his Pfitzner Stadium debut for the Prince William Cannons.

“Ankiel’s entire baseball career, and his phenom reputation, has been built around an ability to adapt to new surroundings and challenges,” Utnik wrote in the Potomac News, one of this newspaper’s forebears.

The lefthander went on to win nine games that year for the Cannons, a previous incarnation of what you now know as the Potomac Nationals.

He notched 181 strikeouts that year, too, which still stands as a franchise record.

That bit of local baseball history comes to mind this week because Ankiel made his regular season debut for the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

Thing is, though, Ankiel played that game not from the mount but from center field.

You may remember that Ankiel made it to the bigs as a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. But then in the 2000 playoffs, he lost the ability to throw strikes — in a major way.

We’re not talking tosses that were on the edge of home plate. We’re talking the ball going all the way to the backstop.

So Ankiel went back to the minors. The wildness continued.

Then he and Cardinals bigwigs decided he would move to the outfield.

Now, to those who don’t know baseball, this might not sound like a big deal.

But this wasn’t moving kids around the T-ball field to make sure everyone gets a turn. If you make it to the majors as a hurler, you don’t usually just switch to being a position player.

However, that’s just what Ankiel did.

He’s performed well, too. He smacked a home run in his “second” major league debut in 2007.

And he’s been rolling ever since. He looks to be a regular for the Nats this year.

But whether he plays every day, or even comes off the bench as a pinch hitter, Ankiel’s real importance is his ability to inspire.

Look, it’s not like I know the guy or anything. And yes, there was a controversy a few years back about whether he used performance-enhancing drugs illegally.

But his story is simply wonderful. He endured very public professional failures then triumphed over them. He not only came back but also has thrived.

“With an 18-year-old on the mound, you never know what to expect,” then-Prince William manager Joe Cunningham said in that story from 1998. “But he doesn’t get rattled much.”

That quote also proved prescient.

Ankiel’s not still a teenager —though he is younger than this writer — but he he remains unrattled. It’s good to have him back in the D.C. area.

Jonathan Hunley is a staff writer at the News & Messenger. Contact him at 703-369-5738, or at jhunley@insidenova.com.