Catcher, New
York Yankees
Age: 32
7th season
with Yankees
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’2” Weight: 196
Prior to 1961:
A native of St.
Louis, Howard played catcher for a team in that city’s Tandy League (an amateur
circuit for players of color). A multi-sport star at Vashon High School as
well, he drew the interest of major colleges. Howard signed with the Kansas
City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1948 for $500 per month. He
initially played left field and first base for the Monarchs. He stayed until
1950 when he was sold to the Yankees for $25,000. Assigned to Muskegon of the
Class A Central League, Howard hit 9 home runs and batted .283 with a .340
on-base percentage in 54 games. Drafted into the Army in the offseason, he
missed the 1951 and ’52 seasons while playing service baseball. Following his
military commitment, he was assigned to the Kansas City Blues of the Class AAA
American Association in 1953 where he split time between the outfield and
catching and batted .286 with 22 doubles, 9 triples, 10 home runs, 70 RBIs, and
a .326 OBP. He spent 1954 with Toronto in the Class AAA International League
where he received league MVP honors by hitting .330 with 21 doubles, 16
triples, 22 home runs, 109 RBIs, a .380 OBP, and a ,569 slugging percentage
while primarily appearing at catcher. With the Yankees under pressure to
integrate, Howard became their first black player in 1955. Utilized primarily
in the outfield and as a pinch-hitter, in addition to some appearances at
catcher, where he backed up Yogi Berra, Howard performed well and batted .290
with 10 home runs, 43 RBIs, a .336 OBP, and a .477 slugging percentage while
accumulating 305 plate appearances. Seeing more action behind the plate in
1956, he hit .262 with 5 home runs and 34 RBIs. Berra still saw most of the
action at catcher in 1957, but Howard saw enough playing time in left field to
accumulate 381 plate appearances and he was an All-Star selection for the first
time on his way to batting .253 with 8 home runs and 44 RBIs. Howard appeared in
67 games as a catcher in 1958 but still was used in the outfield. He hit .314
with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs and made key plays in the come-from-behind World
Series triumph over the Milwaukee Braves, both at bat and defensively in the
outfield. The versatile Howard saw significant action at first base in 1959 due
to an injury to starter Bill Skowron. He was limited to 44 games behind the
plate and batted .273 with 18 home runs and 73 RBIs in what was a down year for
the Yankees. In 1960 he finally saw more action at catcher than the aging
Berra, who was increasingly used in the outfield. The “Bronx Bombers” returned
to the pinnacle of the American League and Howard hit .245 with 6 home runs and
39 RBIs. He went down with a hand injury during the World Series. He adjusted
his stance to better hit to all fields in 1961.
1961 Season Summary
Appeared in 129
games
C – 111, PH – 14,
1B – 9
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 482
At Bats – 446
Runs – 64
Hits – 155 [20,
tied with Carl Yastrzemski]
Doubles – 17
Triples – 5 [20,
tied with sixteen others]
Home Runs – 21
[18, tied with John Romano, Johnny Blanchard & Earl Averill]
RBI – 77
Bases on Balls
– 28
Int. BB – 6 [9,
tied with Harmon Killebrew]
Strikeouts – 65
Stolen Bases – 0
Caught Stealing
– 3
Average - .348 [Non-qualifying]
OBP - .387 [Non-qualifying]
Slugging Pct. -
.549 [Non-qualifying]
Total Bases – 245
[19]
GDP – 5
Hit by Pitches
– 3
Sac Hits – 1
Sac Flies – 4
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 8, HR – 7, RBI – 34, AVG - 369, SLG – .545, OBP – .405
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 7 AB) vs. Minnesota 8/6 – 15 innings
Longest hitting
streak – 14 games
HR at home – 10
HR on road – 11
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. Cleveland 7/6
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 4 at Minnesota 6/25, vs. Boston 7/7
Pinch-hitting – 4 for 14 (.286) with 1 HR & 1 RBI
Fielding (C )
Chances – 683
Put Outs – 635
Assists – 43
Errors – 5
Passed Balls –
8
DP – 4
Pct. - .993
Postseason
Batting: 5 G (World Series vs. Cincinnati)
PA – 22, AB – 20,
R – 5, H – 5, 2B – 3, 3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 1, BB – 2, IBB – 1, SO – 3, SB – 0,
CS – 0, AVG - .250, OBP - .318, SLG - .550, TB – 11, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 0,
SF – 0
Awards & Honors:
All-Star
10th
in AL MVP voting (30 points – 11% share)
---
The Yankees, under new manager Ralph Houk, went 109-53 to win the AL pennant by 8 games over the Detroit Tigers, while leading the league in home runs (240), RBIs (781), slugging (.442), and total bases (2455). The Yankees surged to the pennant in a season dominated by the home run race between slugging outfielders Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. They won the World Series over the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1. The Series was highlighted by New York LHP Whitey Ford’s record string of 33 consecutive shutout innings pitched.
Aftermath of 1961:
A solid, quiet, and dignified player, Howard received a raise in pay to $42,500 in 1962 and hit .279 with 21 home runs, 91 RBIs, and a .318 OBP. By 1963 he was no longer a platoon player and was established as New York’s regular backstop. Although beset by key injuries in 1963, the Yankees maintained their pennant grip on the American League and Howard stepped up by batting .287 with 28 home runs, 85 RBIs, a .342 OBP, and a .528 slugging percentage. He was voted league MVP for his efforts. He managed five hits in the World Series, in which the Los Angeles Dodgers won in a four-game sweep. Howard, who received a raise to $60,000, followed up in 1964 by batting .313 with 27 doubles, 15 home runs, 84 RBIs, and a .371 OBP, ranking third in league MVP balloting. In 1965 he was hindered by an elbow injury that required surgery and was limited to 110 games in which he hit .233 with 9 home runs and 45 RBIs. Still ailing in 1966, he finished at .256 with 6 home runs and 35 RBIs over the course of 126 games. With his hitting bothered by a hand injury in 1967, Howard was dealt to the Boston Red Sox in August. With the Red Sox in a four-team battle for the pennant, the 38-year-old catcher brought his savvy to handling the pitching staff and a veteran presence to the clubhouse. He never got on track at bat and finished with a .178 combined average. Still, he placed seventeenth in league MVP voting for his contributions to the Red Sox in their pennant-winning effort. Howard spent one final season with Boston in 1968, dealing with chronic injuries and hitting just .241 while playing in 71 games. Overall, for his American League career, Howard batted .274 with 1471 hits that included 218 doubles, 50 triples, and 167 home runs. He scored 619 runs and compiled 762 RBIs, a .322 OBP, and a .427 slugging percentage. With the Yankees his totals were .279 with 1405 hits, 211 doubles, 50 triples, 161 home runs, 733 RBIs, a .324 OBP, and a .436 slugging percentage with 588 runs scored. In 54 World Series games he batted .246, with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs. Howard was a 12-time All-Star and received two Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess behind the plate. He became a coach for the Yankees upon his retirement as a player and remained with the organization until his death in 1980 at age 51 due to heart disease. His managerial aspirations went unfulfilled, but the Yankees retired his #32.
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Highlighted Years feature
players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting
average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases
(with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts,
earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are
participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues
since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes,
were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons
in non-award years.
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