Ryan Howard (born November 19, 1979 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a first baseman in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. He graduated from Lafayette High School in 1998 and attended Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University). He bats and throws left handed.

Selected in the 5th round of the 2001 draft, Howard quickly ascended the Phillies’ minor league system, earning consecutive MVP awards in the Florida State and Eastern leagues (2003-2004).

2004

Howard accrued 42 plate-appearances in 19 games with the Phillies in 2004. He posted a .282 batting average with two home runs and five RBI; he also hit five doubles, drew two walks and was hit by a pitch. Between playing for Double-A Reading, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Phillies, Howard hit 48 home runs, which was the highest total in organized baseball in 2004.

On September 1, Howard logged his first Major League plate-appearance, striking out to Jaret Wright in a pinch-hit at-bat (for Vicente Padilla) in a 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. On the 6th, Howard logged his first Major League hit in a lone at-bat in a 3-1 loss to the Braves; on the 8th, he recorded his first multi-hit game with a double and a single in a 4-1 win over the Braves. On the 11th, Howard hit his first Major League home run, driving in his first RBI and scoring his first run in an 11-9 win over the New York Mets. He drew his first walk off Paul Wilson on the 13th in a pinch-plate-appearance in a 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

2005

On May 15, Howard recorded his first three-hit game, going 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, and a run-scored in a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. On August 23, he recorded his first four-hit game, going 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two singles, three RBI and three runs-scored in a 10-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. In early July, Howard became the Phillies’ everyday first baseman when slugger Jim Thome was sidelined for the season with an elbow injury.

Howard, who led all major league rookies with 22 home runs, also posted a .288 average and 63 RBI in just 312 at-bats and 88 games. He hit eleven home runs and 27 RBI in September and October as the Phillies battled the Houston Astros for the National League wild card until getting eliminated on the last day of the season. Howard was rewarded for his effort by being named NL Rookie of the Year, the fourth Phillie to win the award (The others were Jack Sanford in 1957, Richie Allen in 1964, and Scott Rolen in 1997).

After the 2005 season, the Phillies had a dilemma involving Thome and Howard. Both were very talented and proven power-hitters (illustrated by the fact that both have showed a penchant for occasionally hitting opposite field home runs to the left field seats at Citizens Bank Park and other ballparks). Thome was the biggest free agent player the Phillies signed prior to the 2003 season, but Howard was the reigning Rookie of the Year and certainly the future of the franchise at first base.

Many believed Thome would be traded in the offseason to make room for Howard. Before the 2006 season, Thome was indeed traded, along with $22 million cash, to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Aaron Rowand and minor league pitching prospects Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood, thus making room for the rising slugger. Howard finished his rookie season with 17 doubles, two triples, 52 runs-scored, and 100 strikeouts.

2006

Howard was named to his first All-Star game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh as a reserve first baseman, by the player ballot. He participated in the Century 21 Home Run Derby prior to the game, and won the contest with a total of 23 home runs (18 in the first two rounds), defeating the New York Mets’ third baseman David Wright in the final round. His final home run bounced off the Mastercard sign which granted 500 free flights to one lucky fan at the stadium. Howard was the second consecutive Phillie to win the Derby, with Bobby Abreu hitting a record 41 home runs in 2005, only the second time that back-to-back derby champions were from the same team (and the first time that different players from the same team won in consecutive years).

On September 5, Howard was named the NL Player of the Month for August. His 41 RBIs were the most any player had in one month since Frank Howard had 41 in July, 1962. Howard was the second consecutive Phillie to win the Player of the Month Award, after Chase Utley won it in July. It was the 17th time a Phillie had won the award, making Howard the 11th franchise player to do so, and the first in August since Mike Schmidt in 1981; it was also the first time that two Phillies had won the award in consecutive months in a quarter-century, since Gary Matthews followed Schmidt in September of 1981.

Howard has also gained recognition for getting hits in important situations. In 2006, 30 of his 56 home runs have either tied the game or given the Phillies the lead. In addition, his opposite-field power has been on display, with 27 of his 56 home runs traveling to left-field or left-center. Six times, Howard’s home runs have scored all of Philadelphia’s runs in a game, with a total of eight home runs on April 16, May 14, July 28, August 5, August 17, and September 8.

Howard is the 12th player in history to hit 56 home runs in a season. He is currently on pace to hit 62 home runs this season, which would surpass Roger Maris’s 1961 total of 61 home runs. The Maris family, seeing none of Sammy Sosa’s, Mark McGwire’s, or Barry Bonds’ home run totals as legitimate records and thus believing that Roger still holds the true home run record at 61, has publicly stated that should Howard finish the season with 62 or more home runs, they will cede the crown to Howard. Major League Baseball still recognizes the record for most home runs in a single season to be held by Barry Bonds, with 73 in 2001.