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The 32 year-old was out till June after tearing his Achilles in the postseason last year against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Howard has consistently been one of the top first baseman in the league for a while now. This season has been a little different for him so far.
First of all, his team the Phillies, are 16.5 games behind the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East. Second, Howard has only had a little over 200 at bats this season due to injury. The power is still there for Howard.
In 58 games, played he has 41 RBIs and 10 homers. That might not be the numbers you expect from Howard, but you have to give the guy a break. He is coming back from arguably one of the worst injuries in sports.
One thing to point out is lack of protection in the lineup Howard is receiving this year. In years past, he has had guys like Hunter Pence, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Pat Burrell hitting in front of him or behind him in the Philly lineup. The Phillies lineup has changed completely and it has shown in Howard’s stats.
When Howard had a healthy Chase Utley and Werth hitting in front or behind him is when his numbers were the best. In 2006, Howard hit 58 homers along with 149 RBIs and won the NL MVP.
The year he won the MVP is when Jimmy Rollins and Utley were both in their primes and helped anchor the Phillies lineup. It is proven that Howard needs the help of others in the lineup to produce. That doesn’t mean he isn’t capable to carry a team on his back. But he can’t do it on his own for the most part.
As of next season expect a lot from Howard. It all depends what direction the Phillies go in the offseason. If Philly goes out and gets a proven hitter, then expect a big year from Howard. It will be interesting to see if the Phillies stick with John Mayberry Jr., who has really turned it on during the past month or so.
If Howard has a strong offseason of rest of training and can manage to stay healthy, expect the normal 30-40 homers and 100 plus RBIs for Howard in 2013. Philly must take the good with the bad because it is almost a given that Howard will finish top-5 in the league in strikeouts.
The season is not over for the Phillies or Howard yet. As of September 15th the Phillies stand only 3 games back from the Cardinals for the second wildcard spot. Can you believe it? If the Phillies do find themselves in the playoffs, it will be truly an amazing comeback.
They went from not even being discussed to only 3 games from the playoffs. Howard is only a .259 career hitter in the playoffs but does hold the Phillies record, with 33 career RBIs in the playoffs.
Do not be surprised if Howard carries the Phillies in October if they do indeed get into the postseason. He has been seeing the ball a lot better recently and is finally able to play 1st base on a regular basis. He is going to hit over .300 the rest of the way.
But if he gets into one of his power surges, watch out. Ryan Howard is hungry for another parade on Broad Street and he could very well be contending with the Phillies for a long time.
This article was originally published at MLB Reports.
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