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The 2008 baseball season has just begun, so many will call this a bit premature. Do we have to sign Ryan Howard to a "ginormous" contract this coming off season?
Howard exploded into the majors with an NL Rookie of the Year and an NL Most Valuable Player in back-to-back seasons (his first in the bigs). Teams were terrified of anything with a right arm throwing to him. Pat Burrell wasn't setting the world on fire, so it was safe to walk him.
Now? The tide has turned. Howard is a strikeout machine. His defense is Mo Vaughn-esque. His eye isn't as bad as Sammy Sosa's, but it's close. His reluctance to line the ball to the opposite field allows teams to diminish his chances for pulling a base hit with an exaggerated shift.
People will say that his homeruns over shadow his sub .300 average and atrocious whiffs. His strikeouts don't move runners. His strikeouts don't give the defense a chance for errors. The only positive for his K's provide are the elimination of a double play. With the way Burrell is crushing the ball, that's a pretty big positive.
It's early in the season and Howard has an eternity to turn it around. I am forced to wonder, how much worse off would the Phillies be with a first baseman that can hit for average and field the ball?
Yes, Howard's 45+ homeruns would be missed, but are they worth 200 million dollars?
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2 comments:
Agreed, two thoughts here:
1. The difference between 20 and 30 home runs, or even 30 and 40, is so much greater than that of the 40 to 50 home run range. Home runs do not win baseball games.
2. I would think Howard should finish with some stout numbers, and his value at the end of the season should be just as great as it was after any year he has played. I still think pitching is number one.
P.S. I would still be skeptical about any trade, ha.
Actually, I back off of my post a little because Mitch Williams swayed me on Post Game the other night.
He said, "He hasn't forgotten how to hit. You don't hit 59 homeruns and suddenly forget. He's just pressing."
Good call, Mitch. I still hate his 200 strike-outs per year... but he's earned the right to have more time than just April to turn it around.
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