"After 12 seasons, often tumultuous, the Rick Ankiel era has ended with the Cardinals. Seeing limited playing time available to him here in 2010, Ankiel, a free agent for the first time in his career, has elected to take his new outfielding career across the state, where he says he has been told he'll be the center fielder for the Kansas City Royals this season.

Ankiel, signed as a pitcher in 1997, agreed to a contract that will pay him a guaranteed $3.25 million this year, with a $6 million mutual option for 2011, pending his passing a physical in Kansas City next week.

Now 30 years old, Ankiel hit just .231 with 11 homers and 38 runs batted in last year, never really recovering from banging into the Busch Stadium wall after making a catch against Pittsburgh on May 4. He leaves behind a trail of "what ifs?"

What if veteran Mike Matheny, who had accidentally sliced his right ring finger with a hunting knife just before the playoffs, had been able to catch Ankiel in the latter's famous 2000 meltdown?

Ankiel, a surprise Game 1 starter against Atlanta after manager Tony La Russa had sent veteran Darryl Kile to the series-opening news conference the day before, worked two scoreless innings before unraveling and throwing five wild pitches in the third, an inning from which he never would recover.

With backup Carlos Hernandez, who had arrived not long before from San Diego, catching him, Ankiel had more trouble against New York in the league championship series. And in three postseason appearances covering a total of four innings, Ankiel gave up seven runs, walked 11 and threw nine wild pitches, many of them landing high on the backstop screen.

With Gold Glover Matheny as his catcher for much of the regular season, Ankiel had a strong rookie campaign at 11-7 with a 3.50 earned-run average. Opponents hit only .219 against him.

The next spring, the Cardinals, in paranoia mode as Ankiel's control didn't return, used to work him out at 7 a.m. on the back fields at their complex in Jupiter, Fla., before any reporters or fans were around. In his first start of the regular season that year - the only game he won - Ankiel warmed up under the stands in the batting cage area, instead of the bullpen, at the Arizona Diamondbacks' stadium in Phoenix."