RetroSimba

If not for Rafael Furcal, Rick Ankiel would have won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Furcal, acquired by the Cardinals from the Dodgers July 31 in a trade for minor-league outfielder Alex Castellanos, earned the NL’s top rookie honor in 2000 when the shortstop hit .295 with 40 stolen bases for the Braves.

Furcal received 25 of 32 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He also had six second-place votes and one third-place vote, giving him 144 total points in the balloting.

Ankiel, a left-handed pitcher, was 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA for the 2000 Cardinals. He struck out 194 in 175 innings and yielded only 137 hits.

Finishing second to Furcal in the rookie of the year balloting with 87 points, Ankiel received six first-place votes, 17 seconds and six thirds. Mets outfielder Jay Payton (.291, 17 home runs) was a distant third, with 37 points.

Though Ankiel had an epic meltdown in the 2000 postseason (nine wild pitches and 11 walks in four innings), that performance didn’t impact the rookie of the year balloting because all votes were submitted before the playoffs began.

Furcal, the first middle infielder to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award since Steve Sax of the Dodgers 18 years earlier, had come to spring training as a non-roster player in 2000 and was issued a uniform with the number 78.

He led NL rookies in runs scored (87), walks (73) and on-base percentage (.394).

“He’s got a lot of confidence,” said Braves outfielder Andruw Jones when asked about Furcal in November 2000. “I’m not saying he’s cocky, but he knows when he does his best he can be successful.”

Said Furcal in a statement to reporters after learning he had won the award, “There were a lot of other rookies who had great years, and for me to win this means my hard work has paid off.”

Ankiel never would regain the pitching skills he showed in the 2000 regular season, and was converted to an outfielder. At the time of the rookie honor, though, many thought he would recover from the wildness that plagued him in the playoffs.

“He’s a young kid and he’s tough as nails,” Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan told the Associated Press. “He’s going to be fine.”

Said Pirates manager Gene Lamont of Ankiel: “He’s probably the best-looking young pitcher in baseball, at least in our league. When he starts throwing that curveball and change-up across (the plate), they’ll start talking about him like they did about (the Cubs’) Kerry Wood.”

After Ankiel was named the surprise starter of Game 1 of the 2000 NL Division Series against the Braves at St. Louis, the first batter he faced was Furcal, who singled and then was caught attempting to steal. In the third, after Furcal popped out to first base, Ankiel threw the first of his five wild pitches in the inning. Boxscore

Furcal made a big impression on the Cardinals in his first game against them. On Aug. 4, 2000, at St. Louis, Furcal was 2-for-2 with three walks, two RBI, two steals and two runs scored against Andy Benes and reliever Matt Morris in a 6-4 Braves victory. Boxscore His career batting average against the Cardinals is .344 (83-for-241).