Philadelphia Phillies: 50 greatest players of all-time
11. player. 6. . 1B. 2004-16. Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard‘s legacy in Philadelphia is somewhat complicated, despite his career being that of a borderline Hall of Famer.
“The Big Piece”‘s career got off to a torrid start and ultimately forced the Phillies to trade Jim Thome. Howard earned NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2005, despite playing just 88 games, but he had a big impact early. He hit 22 home runs and averaged more than a hit per game for a Phillies club that missed the playoffs for the eighth-straight year, despite winning 89 games.
Howard proved his rookie year was no fluke, winning the National League MVP the following season. He led baseball with 58 home runs, falling short of Roger Maris’ record 61 single-season home runs and drove in a league-high 149 runs. The home runs were the most in a single-season by a Phillie, and the RBIs the most since Chuck Klein drove in 170 in 1930.
The slugger would finish in the top-five for the MVP for four consecutive years, and had three top-three finishes. He hit no fewer than 45 home runs during that span and led the league in long balls twice. Howard also led the league in RBIs three times and drove in at least 136 runs.
Howard put up six consecutive seasons with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Howard had a legit case for winning the National League MVP after the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, but Albert Pujols’ .357 batting average and 9.2 WAR couldn’t be ignored, despite Howard’s lofty power numbers. Pujols received six more first-place votes than Howard, who might have lost a couple to Brad Lidge, who received two.
After a torrid start to his career, Howard’s downfall came quickly thanks to a blown Achilles during the 2011 playoffs. Despite playing five additional years, he couldn’t get back to the historic power numbers, hitting no more than 25 a year in his final years. Strikeouts, the shift and bad defense also played a part on Howard’s demise and retirement.
In Phillies history, Howard sits second all-time in home runs with 382, third in RBI with 1,194 and fourth in extra-base hits with 680. He finished 40 strikeouts behind Mike Schmidt for the most in franchise history, a record he surely won’t care for.
Howard likely falls short of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but he’ll get a serious look after being one of the most feared sluggers in the game for a seven-year stretch. His 15 WAR and 19.2 seven-year peak WAR will never impress and falls short of Hall of Fame standards, but strikeouts and bad defense are to blame there.
A no-doubt Wall of Famer, Howard’s legacy is mixed after years of success followed by a major drop-off. Ultimately, he’ll be lauded by the fanbase for years to come. Should the club change their jersey retirement standards, Howard could see his No. 6 hang among the all-time greats.