MVP Profile: Ryan Howard, 2006

First Baseman, Philadelphia Phillies

 

Age:  26

2^nd season with Phillies

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 250

Prior to 2006:

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Howard began to display his power potential in Little League and continued to play well in high school. Moving on to college at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University), Howard broke out as a junior in 2001, when he hit 19 home runs but also set a school record by striking out 74 times, demonstrating his career-long propensity for having a productive power bat while whiffing at a prodigious rate. He was selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of that year’s amateur draft and signed for a $235,000 bonus. Initially assigned to Batavia of the short-season Class A New York-Pennsylvania League, he batted .272 in 48 games with 6 home runs and 35 RBIs. Moving to the Lakewood BlueClaws of the Class A South Atlantic League in 2002, he hit .280 with 19 home runs and 87 RBIs while striking out 145 times. He advanced to Clearwater of the advanced Class A Florida State League in 2003 where he won the league batting championship with a .304 average and also topped the circuit with 23 home runs. He was named league MVP for his run-producing prowess despite also leading the circuit by striking out 151 times. Howard advanced to Reading of the Class AA Eastern League in 2004 where he hit 37 home runs in 102 games before being promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the Class AAA International League where he slugged another 9 home runs in 29 games. Called up to the Phillies in September, he hit his first two major league home runs. Blocked by the presence of star first baseman Jim Thome in Philadelphia, Howard became a prime subject of trade speculation. He started the 2005 season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but was called up by the Phils when an elbow injury put Thome on the disabled list. Following a brief major league stint, Howard returned to Class AAA, where he went on a 24-game hitting streak. When Thome returned to the DL, Howard was recalled to the Phillies to stay. In 88 major league games he produced 22 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a .288 batting average along with a .356 on-base percentage and .567 slugging percentage. He received NL Rookie of the Year honors. The Phillies traded Jim Thome to the White Sox in the offseason, thus assuring Howard of a regular job at first base in 2006.

2006 Season Summary

Appeared in 159 games

1B – 159, PH – 2

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 704 [8]

At Bats – 581

Runs – 104 [14]

Hits – 182 [11]

Doubles – 25

Triples – 1

Home Runs – 58 [1]

RBI – 149 [1]

Bases on Balls – 108 [4]

Int. BB – 37 [2]

Strikeouts – 181 [2]

Stolen Bases – 0

Caught Stealing – 0

Average - .313 [8]

OBP - .425 [4]

Slugging Pct. - .659 [2]

Total Bases – 383 [1]

GDP – 7

Hit by Pitches – 9

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 6 [19, tied with thirteen others]

League-leading home runs were +9 ahead of runner-up Albert Pujols

League-leading RBIs were +12 ahead of runner-up Albert Pujols

League-leading total bases were +21 ahead of runner-up Alfonso Soriano

Midseason snapshot: HR – 28, RBI – 71, AVG. – .278., SLG – .582, OBP – .341

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Atlanta 9/3

Longest hitting streak – 14 games

Most HR, game – 3 (in 4 AB) vs. Atlanta 9/3

HR at home – 29

HR on road – 29

Multi-HR games – 7

Most RBIs, game – 7 vs. NY Yankees 6/20

Pinch-hitting – 1 for 2 (.500) with 1 HR & 1 RBI

Fielding

Chances – 1478

Put Outs – 1373

Assists – 91

Errors – 14

DP - 139

Pct. - .991

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Silver Slugger

All-Star

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Ryan Howard, Phila.: 388 pts. – 20 of 32 first place votes, 87% share

Albert Pujols, StL.: 347 pts. – 12 first place votes, 77% share

Lance Berkman, Hou.: 230 pts. – 51% share

Carlos Beltran, NYM:211 pts. – 47% share

Miguel Cabrera, Fla.: 170 pts. – 38% share

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Phillies went 85-77 to finish second in the NL Eastern Division, 12 games behind the division-winning New York Mets, while leading the league in runs scored (865), RBIs (823), walks drawn (626), and total bases (2542). The Phillies started slowly but came on strong in the second half, particularly during an 18-11 August when Howard particularly excelled, just falling short of a wild card playoff spot.

Aftermath of ‘06:

In 2007 the Phillies reached the postseason for the first time since 1993 and Howard, who started slowly, contributed 47 home runs, 136 RBIs, and a .268 batting average, while also leading the league by striking out a then-record 199 times. Philadelphia lost to Colorado in the NLDS. In 2008 the “Big Piece” led the NL with 48 home runs and 146 RBIs while hitting .251 and placed second in league MVP voting. The NL East-winning Phillies went on to win the pennant and World Series. Howard batted .286 in the Series against Tampa Bay along with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs, with 2 homers and 5 RBIs coming in one game. The Phillies repeated as NL pennant winners in 2009 before falling to the Yankees in the World Series. Howard contributed 45 home runs, a league-leading 141 RBIs, and a .279 batting average and placed third in MVP balloting. In 2010, after years of impressive durability, Howard spent time on the disabled list with an ankle sprain. He still hit .276 with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs. He played in 152 games for the first place Phillies in 2011 and hit .253 with 33 home runs and 116 RBIs. In the deciding game of the NLDS loss to St. Louis, Howard made the final out and suffered a torn Achilles tendon, which required surgery. Unable to start the 2012 season until July, it was cut short in September by a broken toe. He was limited to 14 home runs and 56 RBIs in 71 games played. A knee injury cut Howard’s 2013 season short after appearing in 80 games and batting .266 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs. Returning to action in 2014, he appeared in 153 games and hit .223 with 23 home runs and 95 RBIs while leading the NL by striking out 190 times. Howard missed the last three weeks of the 2015 season due to another knee injury and finished with 23 home runs, 77 RBIs, and a .229 average. Benched during the 2016 season, he became a free agent and signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves for 2017. Performing poorly for Gwinnett of the Class AAA International League, he was released in May and signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies that had him playing for Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League for the rest of the year, after which he again became a free agent, effectively ending his career. He announced his retirement in 2018. For his major league career that was spent entirely with the Phillies, Howard batted .258 with 1475 hits that included 277 doubles, 21 triples, and 382 home runs. He further compiled 1194 RBIs and struck out 1843 times. In 46 postseason games he hit .259 with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, and 33 RBIs. He led the NL twice in home runs and three times in RBIs. A one-time league MVP, he finished in the top five a total of four times and was a three-time All-Star.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.