Ryan Howard Stats & Scouting Report

AB	5707
AVG	.258
OBP	.343
SLG	.515
HR	382

Full name Ryan James Howard
Born 11/19/1979 in St. Louis, MO
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 250 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Missouri State
Debut 09/01/2004
Drafted in the 5th round (140th overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2001.

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Howard seemed primed for a big junior year after batting .379 and leading the Missouri Valley Conference with 18 homers as a sophomore. Instead he regressed, batting just .271 with 13 longballs and 74 strikeouts in 58 games. He had trouble turning on fastballs and lifting pitches. It may have been a bad case of draftitis, but his performance has raised a red flag, especially following his .231 average using wood bats with Team USA last summer. Nevertheless, his tools shouldn't allow him to slide past the fourth round. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, he resembles a young Frank Thomas. He offers lefthanded power and patience at the plate, and he has average speed despite his size.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Howard enjoyed a standout sophomore season at Southwest Missouri State and looked poised to be a 2001 first-round pick. But he slumped with a wood bat while with Team USA, and the struggles continued into his junior year. On the verge of setting several school records, he wound up breaking only the record for strikeouts in a season with 74. Teams backed off until the Phillies took a chance on him in the fifth round. They were rewarded when he regained his power stroke. Howard fell seven RBIs shy of winning the high Class A Florida State League triple crown in 2003, then crushed 46 homers to lead the minors last season. He went on a couple of homer binges, launching 10 in a nine game span at Double-A Reading and eight over 11 days in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was leading the minors with 131 RBIs when he left to make his big league debut and finished second in that category, as well as fourth in total bases (309) and fifth in slugging (.637). Howard continued to make an impression in the majors, drilling homers off Bartolome Fortunato and T.J. Tucker, and then led the Arizona Fall League with 14 doubles. Howard's prodigious power rivals that of any prospect. He can hit home runs from foul pole to foul pole, and when he gets his pitch--especially one low and inside--he rarely misses it. Howard used to be vulnerable to inside fastballs, but he made that adjustment and can jerk those pitches over the wall now as well. He also made strides in laying off bad breaking balls on the outer half. He's willing to take walks when pitchers refuse to challenge him. Howard plays better defense than most give him credit for. He's surprisingly nimble for such a big man and possesses average hands and average range. Howard strikes out a lot, including 179 times in 524 at-bats in 2004. He has tried unsuccessfully to put more balls in play, but the Phillies won't mind lofty strikeout totals as long as he brings that lefthanded power to the plate. There's still concern about how he'll handle quality fastballs in on his hands. Jim Thome's presence prompted the organization to send big league coach Milt Thompson to the AFL to work with Howard on a possible position change. Howard showed just enough range and a solid arm to be able to play left field occasionally, but he's not going to be able to move there full-time. He doesn't run well, but he has decent instincts and isn't a baseclogger. For all his success, Howard is 25 and always has been a bit old for the leagues he has played in. Realistically, Philadelphia knows it must trade Howard because Thome is signed through 2008. Even if he could handle left field regularly, Pat Burrell would block him. The Phillies won't give away one of the game's best power prospects, so if they can't find a good trade he'll have to settle for a major league reserve job or a return to Triple-A in 2005.
Howard was a potential first-round pick before a junior slump that included a school-record 74 strikeouts. He ended up being a nice prize in the fifth round, leading the Florida State League in batting and homers in 2003, and missing the triple crown by seven RBIs. Howard has legitimate power to all fields, especially on low pitches, and even launched a blast over the batter's eye behind the 400-foot center-field wall in Clearwater. He has made progress in his approach as an all-around hitter, opening his stance to better handle inside pitches. He has proven to be a surprisingly good defender for a big man, with average range and plus hands. Howard still has work to do in identifying pitches. As a power hitter, he'll always strike out some, but he needs to trim his lofty totals. As he matures as a hitter, Howard should learn to wait for specific pitches and to take or foul off those he can't drive. There's no reason Howard can't reach 35 homers a year in the majors. His power should play fine in Double-A in 2004. He won't be rushed because of Jim Thome's presence in Philadelphia, but likely will be ready before Thome's contract expires after 2008.
Following Rangers prospect Jason Hart as a slugging first baseman at Southwest Missouri State, Howard projected as a 2001 first-round pick. Then he succumbed to draft pressure and batted just .271-13-54 with a school-record 74 strikeouts, so the Phillies landed him that year as a fifth-rounder. Howard shows plus raw power from left-center field to the rightfield corner, and he can drive low pitches. He blasted a homer off the batter's eye behind the center-field wall 400 feet from home plate in Lakewood. He did a good job of making adjustments during his first full pro season. Howard has good hands and agility for a big man and should become at least an average first baseman. Howard's swing tends to get long, giving him trouble with breaking balls. He draws walks but must adjust his approach to make more consistent contact. A shorter stroke could boost both his power and average. The signing of Jim Thome means Howard will get plenty of time to develop. The large ballparks in the Class A Florida State League will provide a stiff test for Howard and his power in 2003.
Howard hit .379 with a Missouri Valley Conference-leading 18 home runs as a sophomore and projected as a first-round pick for 2001. Then he suffered through a miserable junior campaign, batting .271-13-54 while setting Southwest Missouri State's single-season strikeout record. Coupled with his .231 performance with Team USA the previous summer, Howard endured questions about his bat. But his raw power and physical strength remind the Phillies of John Mayberry, a lefthanded slugger who hit 255 home runs in a 15-year career. Howard got untracked in his pro debut, displaying tape-measure power and good strike-zone knowledge. He's a low-ball hitter with power to drive the ball out of any part of the park. Scouts felt he had trouble pulling pitches with authority during the spring, but the Phillies believe it was just a case of draftitis. Despite his size, Howard moves well around first base and should be a solid average defender. Howard is considered the best raw power hitter in the system and the Phillies expect him to handle Class A in 2002 without problems.

Minor League Top Prospects

Howard became known as a more complete hitter than just a big bopper, the tag he wore a year ago when he led the minors with 46 home runs. He showed the ability to shorten his stroke and take balls the other way, proving he can hit for average as well as power, and provided more offense for the Phillies than the man he replaced in their lineup, the injured Jim Thome. Howard used to be vulnerable to inside pitches because of his size, but he made an adjustment and can jerk those pitches out of any park now. He also showed a greater willingness to accept walks when teams pitched around him. He doesn't run well and didn't take to left field when Philadelphia tried him there in the past, but IL observers said he really improved his defense at first base. "I know what a great hitter he is, but his defense is what surprised me," Norfolk manager Ken Oberkfell said. "He gets to the bag very quickly and can pick it when he has to. He's everything you look for out of that position."
After increasing his power output in each of his first three pro seasons, Howard broke out in 2004, leading the minor leagues with 46 homers before earning a September callup. Howard has power to all fields, though he prefers the ball away and loves to hit to center and left-center field. He continues to struggle with offspeed offerings, especially behind in the count. He has worked to improve his plate discipline but still piles up strikeouts. He moves well for a big man, is not a baseclogger and has good instincts on the bases and in the field. He has playable hands at first base. "When you have power like him, you don't have to pull it," New Hampshire manager Mike Basso said. "It's not like any park can hold him."
Howard and Stokes invariably were compared by league observers. Howard had a better season and shows more defensively, but he's two years older and has less upside. Howard has tremendous power to all fields, especially to left-center, and he feasts on mistakes on the outer half of the plate. He opened his stance and added more flex in his knees to allow him to better handle inside pitches. He's more patient than Stokes, ranking third in the league in on-base percentage (.374) while leading in batting and slugging (.514). "Howard has tremendous raw power," Fort Myers manager Jose Marzan said. "Stokes is a better hitter and eventually he'll be a better average hitter. But when talking raw power, Howard is hard to beat."