Philadelphia Phillies: Looking back at Ryan Howard

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard announced his retirement on Tuesday. How will he be remembered?

It has been some time since Ryan Howard was last seen on a major league diamond. The former Philadelphia Phillies slugger had last suited up for a major league game on October 2, 2016, and had not played at all this season. Yet, there was that hope that someone would pick up the phone, a team in desperate need of left handed power, to give Howard a chance at redemption.

That call never came. Even as he bounced around the minors in 2017, Howard held out hope that he would make a come back. That hope faded this season, as the months passed by, and the phone refused to ring. In the end, even Howard was forced to see the reality of his situation, as he was a 38 year old power hitter without a market.

On Tuesday, Howard did the inevitable, announcing his retirement. He had a brilliantly worded article on the Player’s Tribune to announce this decision, one that he may not have made lightly, but a direction he was forced into nonetheless.

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There was a time when Howard was one of the more feared sluggers in baseball. Over a seven year run from 2005 through 2011, Howard was a five time All Star, the 2006 NL MVP, the 2005 Rookie of the Year, and finished in the top ten of the MVP vote for six consecutive years. Over that time frame, Howard produced a .275/.368/.560 batting line, averaging 41 homers a season. He led the league in homers twice, and RBI three times, a key run producer during the Phillies run of success.

However, the second half of his career was not as fruitful. Signed to a five year $125 million extension prior to the 2010 campaign, Howard began to break down. The next six years of his career were a disaster, as Howard produced at a .226/.292/.427 batting line. He averaged only 19 homers per season, while striking out in 30% of his plate appearances.

That final year, where Howard bounced around AAA, was no better. He only hit four homers in 96 plate appearances, with a .189/.208/.367 batting line. Howard was not going to miraculously turn into the Howard of old – he was just old and no longer the slugger he once was.

While it is easy to remember Howard as a disappointment for his production in the second half of his career, he was also a key reason why the Phillies returned to relevancy at all. A part of that young core, which also consisted of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, Howard was a part of that group, instant stars among the Phillies faithful.

As Ryan Howard rides off into the sunset, it is easy to remember his disastrous ending to his time with the Philadelphia Phillies. However, one cannot remember the bad without the good, as he was a key part of their success in the previous decade.