[翻譯] Ankiel is closing in on big leagues again (2)

看板Cardinals作者azure0920 (WS Champ STL Cardinals)時間18年前 (2007/06/24 03:55)推噓8(8推 0噓 1→)

留言9則, 9人參與討論串1/1

By Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 06/22/2007 (續上文) THE ROAD BACK Ankiel made it back to the major leagues as a reliever in 2004 but suffered more frustration the following spring, when he again began to obsess over his wavering command and found it difficult to eat or sleep. 重返之路 Ankiel曾經在 2004年以後援投手的身分回到大聯盟陣中, 但在隔年的春天再度發生了投球機制的不協調, 進而引發他食慾不振和影響睡眠. One morning in early March, La Russa praised Ankiel's progress as the lefthander worked behind his manager. As if on cue, Ankiel spiked a curveball on the front edge of a plate, sending the ball over the bullpen backstop. Several days later he walked out of camp. 有一天早上, 當總教練 La Russa向球團經理讚美 Ankiel的進步, 當時 Ankiel就在後方練投. 似乎是暗示真實情況一般, Ankiel投出了一個落在本壘板前緣的曲球, 球不受控制的彈出了牛棚練習區的防護網. 幾天之後, Ankiel 離開了春訓 "It was a tough road back as a pitcher. I'm not sure he ever really felt comfortable with that," Jocketty recalls. "It was obvious that day he'd had enough." "對投手來說,那是很艱辛的復原過程. 我不確定他真的對於這個過程感到自在", 球團經經理 Jocketty 回憶到, "就在那天, 他無法持續下去了" The same day Ankiel left camp, Jocketty contacted him about trying to play in the outfield. Ankiel, after all, had been a star hitter at Port St. Lucie (Fla.) High as well as having a dominant arm. While with Johnson City in 2001, he had hit 10 home runs in 105 at-bats and made the All-Star team as a designated hitter and pitcher. 同樣在 Ankiel離開春訓的那天, Jocketty和他談到轉任為外野手的可能性. Ankiel 在高中時期是一個投打兼具的明星球員. 2001年,他在Johnson City的新人聯盟中擊出了10隻全壘打(105個打數), 同時獲選新人聯盟明星賽的投手以及指定打者. "My mind was totally on the pitching side of it and retiring," Ankiel says. "I wasn't really sure (about playing again). I told them I'd call back. I'm glad I did." "那時我只想到擔任投手,或者退出球員生涯", Ankiel 說到, "我不確定我還想繼續打球. 我告訴 Jocketty我會再回電給他, 很高興我真的做了" Scratching his way back in 2004 had been a slog. Success was as fleeting as his next wild pitch. 儘管在 2004年艱苦的嘗試回到投手丘, 所有努力卻在一個暴投後瞬間消逝 "This would be better by far," Ankiel says. "That was a grind. The story was always going to be there. This is something new. There's a lot of notoriety that goes along with it. It's something I can build on. People seem to think it's a pretty cool thing. I'm enjoying it. I'm definitely looking forward to what's ahead now." "對我來說這是最好的情形了", Ankiel 說到, "每天去春訓營投球對我來說, 真是個苦差事, 現在就不同了. 雖然有很多失敗的例子, 但至少我可以嘗試去做. 很多人認為棄投從打是很酷的, 而我樂在其中. 我對於未來充滿了期待" BRIGHT FUTURE One Cardinals official recently described Ankiel as Memphis' best player "by a long shot." Two rival scouts who attended a recent Redbirds home stand shared the sentiment. 光明的未來不久前,一位紅雀隊的高層人員提到了 Ankiel是AAA Memphis 的最佳球員 (如果他能持續下去). 另外兩位到德州看 Ankiel比賽的球探也表示了相似的看法. "I don't want to put any limitations on him," Memphis manager Chris Maloney says. "He's going to be a very good big-league player. He's going to be a run producer. He should if he keeps improving." "我不會對他的未來成就設限", Memphis 總教練 Maloney 表示, "只要他持續進步, 他會成為非常出色的大聯盟選手, 為球隊帶來很多分數" Memphis hitting coach Rick Eckstein concurred. "You're talking about a guy who potentially can hit for a high average and certainly can hit for power," Eckstein says. "I don't think you can put a cap on his ceiling. That's what most intrigues me. Other guys in this league have gone to the big leagues and you know what their ceiling is. With him, I don't know you can say that." Memphis 的打擊教練 Rick Eckstine 也表示贊同總教練的想法. "你所提到的是一個具有高打擊率跟長打潛力的球員", "更吸引人的是, 我不認為你可以找到他的極限. 這個聯盟有很多曾經上過大聯盟的球員, 你知道他們的極限在哪. 至於 Ankiel, 我不認為有誰可以預測他的極限到哪" Ankiel has modified his stance since spring training. He stands more upright and has opened his right, or lead, foot. Ankiel 在春訓期間修正了他的打擊姿勢, 現在他的站姿更挺直, 右腳也比以前打的更開. Predominantly a pull hitter, Ankiel has struggled against some of the Pacific Coast League's top pitching — he struck out in nine of 12 at-bats in a recent series with pitching-strong Nashville — but devours anything less. He followed the Nashville series by belting three home runs in last Saturday's game at Iowa. 對於一個以強力拉擊的的打者而言, Ankiel 面對某些 AAA 聯盟的頂尖投手時感到棘手 —— 面對擁有優秀投手群的Nashville時, 12個打數 9次三振 —— 但是其他投手則不是對手. 例如在接著面對Iowa 上星期六的比賽, 他單場擊出三支全壘打. "His strength is his aggressiveness. With that, he pulls the ball more," Eckstein says. "If he harnesses that the right way, he can be successful. Is he ever going to be a guy who'll bang the ball off the left-field wall every day? I don't know. But has he made adjustments so that he's not getting himself out as often? Yes." "他的力量非常具有侵略性, 也因此他能把球拉擊的更遠", 打擊教練 Eckstine說到, "如果將力量運用得宜, 他的打擊將會非常成功. 如果你問我 Ankiel是不是那個可以每次比賽都把球擊出左外野全壘牆的選手, 我不知道答案是什麼. 但你問我 Ankiel 是不是努力調整,來增加上壘機率, 我的答案是肯定的" (注: Ankiel是左打者, 所以應該是右外野, 不是左外野) Eckstein, older brother of Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein, tapes and stores every at-bat on his computer. Almost daily Ankiel seeks out his hitting coach for a look. "It motivates you to see what's behind his eyes," Eckstein says. 身為紅雀隊游擊手David Eckstein的哥哥, 打擊教練 Rick把球員每一次打擊的影像都存在電腦裡, 幾乎每天 Ankiel都會來找他的打擊教練看錄影. "我對於他眼裡觀察到了什麼很有興趣", Rick Eckstein 說到 "THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE" "Learning how to hit when you don't feel good is the biggest challenge," Ankiel says. "But when you're not seeing the ball very well, how do you handle it? When you do feel good, anybody can hit." 最大的挑戰 "學習如何在低潮的時候打擊是我最大的挑戰", Ankiel說到, "當狀況好的時候, 任何人都可以打的好. 但是在狀況不好連球路都看不清楚的時候, 你會怎麼處理?" Feeling good has long been a hurdle, regardless of role. 維持在良好狀態對 Ankiel來說始終是個障礙, 不論是擔任投手或野手 Ankiel missed the 2002 season after suffering a sprain in spring training that led to elbow ligament replacement surgery. He was sidelined for all of last year after suffering a torn knee tendon in a spring training intrasquad game. He briefly landed on the disabled list last month after a collision on the field. 2002 年 Ankiel 因為在春訓時扭傷, 進而需要開刀做行手肘韌帶更換的手術. 去年他也是在春訓小組對抗中, 因為膝蓋肌腱撕裂傷而修養一整年. 就在上個月, 他也因為球場上的衝撞而放進傷兵名單. Yet it is the complications beyond the physical that have made Ankiel a curiosity to some, a psychological study to others and, in blunt terms once used by Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, an unwitting performer within "a freak show" attended by media "vultures." 除了身體的傷痛, 這一連串事件的糾葛讓 Ankiel吸引了很多人的好奇心, 成為心理學研究的個案, 或者像是紅雀隊投手教練 Dave Duncan 所形容的, 一個無意上演驚奇秀的傢伙, 吸引了一群媒體禿鷹. Ankiel now stands in the outfield because he came to detest what the pitching mound represented. "It's a thing of the past. It's gone. I've moved on," he says. Ankiel 現在身楚外野, 是因為他對於站在投手丘上的一切事情感到厭煩他說: "那是過去的事情了, 不會再有了, 我現在只想往前看" Ankiel occasionally will discuss pitching with teammates or a coach, but the talk is fleeting. It became a relic within a painful part of his life that sprouted during the 2000 playoffs and only recently receded. Ankiel 偶爾會跟隊友或教練談論到擔任投手的事情, 但通常都很短暫. 那不過是他生命中一個痛苦的片段, 始於 2000年的季後賽, 到最近才逐漸淡去. "What we're talking about isn't hidden," Ankiel says. "It's about what I'm doing, not necessarily about what's happened before. The stuff before became annoying. I mean, come on. Let's move on. This is a new thing, and I'm happy with it." "我們現在談論的東西再明顯不過了", Ankiel說到, "談的是我目前的進展,不需要和以前發生的事情混為一談. 回憶那些事情只是讓人厭煩而已. 我想, 我的意思是, 來吧, 讓我們向前看吧. 現在有很多新鮮的事情發生在我身上, 而且我正樂在其中呢" "He's got a chance," Maloney says. "He's got a heck of a chance." "他有機會的", Memphis總教練 Maloney說到, "他有很大的機會啊" Given the places Ankiel has visited these last years, he will ask for nothing more. 從 Ankiel這些年來經歷的種種來看, 他對於現在的一切感到相當的滿足了. (本文完) -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 209.40.232.115