When you sign a mega 5 year 125 million dollar contract extension, naturally people are going to have extremely high expectations. When Ryan Howard received his big pay day last year he also accepted the bulls-eye that was placed on him as the highest paid player on the Phillies. Personally I feel that Howard receives a bad rep mainly because of his strike outs. Howard also gets a bad rep because he has been unable to live up to his MVP season in 2006 in which he hit .313 with 58 HR and 149 RBI’s. But if you really take a close look at the stats there is no denying that Howard has consistently produced every year. Here are Howard’s career stats for your personal reference.
I will take the large amount of strikeouts if Ryan continues to hit .250-.270, 30-50 homers and 130 plus RBI’s every year. Howard is also a leader and at times has the ability to completely put this team on his back and carry them through offensive droughts. And Howard’s presence alone in the lineup creates opportunities for Utley in the 3 hole and whoever is batting behind him. When you bat before or after the Big Piece you see better pitches plain and simple.
I didn’t write this article so that all the Ryan Howard haters will stop criticizing one of my favorite players. The man is making practically 25 million a year and if you want to criticize him by all means feel free. Just know that at the end of the day the Big Man gets it done at the plate. The numbers don’t lie. Howard is one of the best players in the league, regardless of his reputation in Philadelphia.
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