MLB History: Top Ten Best Hitting Pitchers
Honorable Mentions: A League of Their Own
Very rarely do pitchers have such pop that they are moved from the rotation and placed into the lineup on a daily basis. Well, for New York’s Babe Ruth and St. Louis’ Rick Ankiel, this was just the case.
Ruth is known as one of, if not the best hitter in all of baseball. However, many do not realize that while a member of the Boston Red Sox, Ruth was a dominant pitcher with a deadly swing. In the infamous trade with the New York Yankees, Ruth transitioned from an ace into a consistent power hitter.
While in Boston, Ruth posted a 2.19 ERA in 158 games (143 starts). As a hitter, he was .308 at the plate with 49 home runs, 112 extra base hits, and an OPS+ of 190.
In his first year for the Yankees, Ruth hit 54 home runs. He only threw four innings that season and made four other appearances while in pinstripes. The rest of his career they say, is history.
The St. Louis Cardinals brought up Ankiel to be a starting pitcher. In his first season, he appeared in nine games and had a 3.27 ERA and 10.6 K/9. The next year – which was his rookie season due to games played – Ankiel was dominant over 31 games. He was 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting.
After that season, things began to go south for Ankiel. On the mound, he lost his control. He made just six starts his sophomore year, giving up a 7.13 ERA. An injury kept him out of 2002 and in 2004, he debuted again, this time out of the bullpen. In 10 innings, he posted a 5.40 ERA.
The Cardinals began to transition him into a hitter. In his rookie season, he hit .250 with two home runs. Potential was there and the Cardinals turned the left-hander into an outfielder.
In 2007, eight years after his major league debut, Ankiel hit .285 with 11 home runs in 47 games. The next year was hit best, hitting .264 with 25 home runs and 21 doubles. His last game came in 2013, finishing the year with 71 at-bats and an average of .182 .
Pitchers turned hitters are very rare in baseball. Because of Ruth’s and Ankiel’s bat, they truly separated themselves from the other pitchers on this list.
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