Phillies legend Ryan Howard appears headed towards retirement
Ryan Howard was hitting .182 in Triple-A Gwinnett, and looks to be retiring with the Phillies being his only major league team
Atlanta shocked the baseball world when they signed former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and designated him to Triple-A. Eleven games later, Howard has been granted his release from Atlanta.
Confirmed on Twitter, Howard is joining the Philadelphia-based firm 76Capital, who “invest in smart and nice entrepreneurs and help them build great companies.”
With that career move, it appears Howard is heading towards retirement after 13 seasons as a major league baseball player.
The #Braves have released 1B Ryan Howard from his minor-league contract.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 8, 2017
Howard has been adamant in believing he had more in the tank, but was unsigned through spring training. No American League clubs took a shot at the man with 382 career home runs as a designated hitter, a role many believed he could still compete in.
Atlanta seemingly signed Howard for their trips to American League fields during Interleague Play but shot down those rumors over the past couple of days.
Released by the Phillies after the 2016 season, Howard sits second on the club’s all-time home run list behind Mike Schmidt. The Big Piece won a Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and World Series title in consecutive seasons on his way to a potential Hall of Fame career.
Injuries to his achillies and knees derailed the Hall of Fame path, which at one point was near certainty.
Look for the Phillies to honor Howard in the near future if his career is officially complete, and potentially retire his number. Traditionally the Phillies only retire numbers of Hall of Fame players, but special circumstances are expected for Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley down the road.