The designated hitter may well be Ryan Howard‘s best bet to retire a Philadelphia Phillie, albeit at a huge discount after the 2017 season.
Listen, one of the hardest things to watch in all of sports was Howard writhing on the ground in pain after becoming the final out of the 2011 LDS loss to the Cardinals. It took him two years to get to the point where he can play most of the time; over the last two seasons he’s had at least 500 at-bats.
But he’s not the same player he was as the 2011 NL MVP. It seems he’s a shadow of his former self. At 36 he’s a good defensive first baseman at a time where great is more or less a standard; rarely has there been a time where so many teams had a top-notch player at first. He’s had 23 homers and at least 90 RBI in each of the last two seasons. He’s also struck out a lot, but that’s always been the case. Howard has worked harder than most of us can imagine to return; it seems the Achilles is among the most difficult injuries from which to recover.
He’s made his coin, and it’d be a shame if he couldn’t be a part of returning the Phillies at least a little closer to their recent glory days.
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