The Rick Ankiel Effect

To think the Braves almost traded Hudson for him.

After Rick Ankiel's stunning pitcher-turned-outfielder number, Adam Loewen is attempting the same thing. That's not new news, but this is. He was put on waivers and is now a free-agent (he cleared waivers). He's also getting a lot of attention evidently from teams. Let's call this the "Rick Ankiel Effect". Ankiel made the switch and is now making a serious difference for the Cardinals. Teams hope that an athletic Loewen can make a similar switch. The thing is that the situations are almost completely different. Loewen hasn't hit for years. Ankiel had and had done well as a pitcher as a rookie. They knew he could hit. Are you really sure about the same for Loewen. Also, Loewen will be 25 next season, and you can't expect him to hit AAA pitching, can you? It seems he'll have to start back at A ball and work his way up. Granted, he'll be like 27 or 28 by the time he gets back, which puts him around his "prime" when he makes it. I still don't know if I'd really expect him to make so much of a change, especially with his injury history.