Ryan Howard

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Note: This page discusses 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard. For the college coach of the same name, click here.

Ryan James Howard

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 230 lb.
• School Southwest Missouri State University
• High School Lafayette High School
• Debut September 1, 2004

• Born November 19, 1979 in St. Louis, MO USA

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[edit] Biographical Information

Ryan Howard is a slugger who has set the record for home runs by a second-year player in 2006. He was chosen the 2006 National League MVP.

Howard was born in Missouri, and went to Lafayette High School in Wildwood, MO. He also attended Southwest Missouri State University.

Howard was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 5th round of the 2001 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Jerry Lafferty and sent to Batavia in the New York-Penn League that summer, where he hit .272/~.385/.456. The year 2002 was spent in Lakewood of the South Atlantic League hitting .280 with 19 home runs. 2003 was at Clearwater in the Florida State League where he cleared a .300 average and a .500 slugging percentage for the first time, posting a line of .304/.374/.514. In 2004, he passed a .600 slugging percentage at both of his stops, hitting .297/.386/.647 in Double A ball at Reading in the Eastern League and .270/.362/.604 at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the International League. That got him his first cup of coffee in the majors in September of 2004. Philadelphia had offered Howard to the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier that summer for Kris Benson but Dave Littlefield refused, as the organization felt Brad Eldred was comparable. Benson later was part of a deal for Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton.

He also spent part of 2005 in the minors at Scranton, posting a very impressive .371/.467/.690 in 61 games.

His first stint with the Phillies was pretty good, as he hit .282/.333/.564 in 19 games. The next year, 2005, he did roughly the same in 88 games, hitting .288/.356/.567. That won him the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year Award. It also impressed the Phillies so much that they traded regular first baseman Jim Thome, a prized free agent signing a couple of years earlier, to the Chicago White Sox to free up a position for Howard.

In 2006, he set a Phillies Spring Training record for home runs with 10. The previous record was 9 hit by Dick Allen. He finished the season with 58 home runs, a record for a second-year player, and the highest total in Major League Baseball that year. He also led the National League in Total Bases (383) and RBI (149) as he established himself as one of the game's most-feared sluggers. In spite of his mighty swing and 181 strikeouts, he still managed to post an impressive batting average of .313 - good for 9th in the league, while rapping 182 hits, a remarkable total for a slow power hitter. He also won the Home Run Derby held at the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. After the season, he was voted the National League Most Valuable Player.

Howard hit his 100th homer in his 325th game in the majors (June 27, 2007), the quickest player to the 100-home run mark according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Howard won a $10 million arbitration case in 2008, setting a record for a first-year eligible player; Alfonso Soriano had previously won $10 million as well.

Howard ruptured his achilles tendon while making the final out of Game Five of the NLDS and collapsed on the ground as the Phillies were eliminated by the St. Louis Cardinals. He had surgery on October 12th , with a recovery time estimated at 5 to 6 months, making him doubtful for the start of the 2012 season. Indeed, in late January, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. stated that he was not expecting Ryan to be back in the line-up before May.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• 2005 NL Rookie of the Year Award
• 3-time NL All-Star (2006, 2009 & 2010)
• NL MVP (2006)
• 2009 NLCS MVP
• NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (2006)
• NL Total Bases Leader (2006)
• 2-time NL Home Runs Leader (2006 & 2008)
• 3-time NL RBI Leader (2006, 2008 & 2009)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 7 (2005-2011)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 6 (2006-2011)
• 40-Home Run Seasons: 4 (2006-2009)
• 50-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2006)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 6 (2006-2011)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 3 (2006, 2008 & 2009)
• Won a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008

[edit] Related Sites

• Ryan Howard on mlb.com
• Ryan Howard's Roots is an article describing his high school and college days, along with the 430-foot clout he hit as a 12 year old.