It’s quite evident that the offense of the Philadelphia Phillies has been below par, so far this season. The team has been able to ride the backs of a dominant starting pitching rotation to the best record in baseball.
The 2011 season hasn’t been a record-setter in a positive way for the Phils’ hitters. There’s only one Philadelphia Phillie who is amongst the league leaders in a vital offensive category and it’s not Placido Polanco or Shane Victorino. The Phillie whom I’m talking about is first baseman Ryan Howard, who seems to face more criticism than most of his teammates.
I took calls on 610-WIP from a number of Phillies fans who were burying Howard last night.
The lefthanded slugger is second in the National League in RBI’s. Prince Fielder has 69 and Howard has 67. I think he is the more deserving to be a Major League All-Star this year above Polanco and Victorino. I was surprised to find out that quite a few Phillies fans disagree with me.
Howard isn’t having the best year of his career, but he’s driven nearly double of the amount runs which any of his teammate have done. Many Phillies fans seem to like to focus on his weaknesses rather than giving the guy credit for being the most dependable run producer in Major League Baseball.
The first baseman has more home runs and RBI’s than any other player in the MLB since he came into the league and that includes future Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols. He has had the best start of any power hitter in the history of baseball, yet quite a few Phillies fans consider him to be a mediocre player.
He has been the Phillies Most Valuable Player every full year he has been in the Major Leagues. The guy is averaging over 40 home runs and 135 RBI’s per year. If you take him and his numbers out of the Phillies lineup, they would fall on their faces. The Phillies hitters have been bad with Howard in the lineup, they would be much worse without him.
Do you agree or disagree with me about Howard?
I agree with you G-Man,
I think R Howards is actually having a pretty good year considering the #5 Hole has been real weak all season so he has no consistent protection behind him and Utley just returned a few ago to the #3 SLot in front of him…
Teams put such a Defensive Shift on him that he has hit a lot of balls hard but at people on the stacked right side of the diamond, I would like him to start choking down on the ball and hit is down the left-side of the infield, maybe when he’s leading off an Inning or early in a game to start making the Defense start playing him a little more honest/true.
I also think that Howard has worked hard to improve in the field which really shows this year and he’s 100% better playing 1B than he was a couple of years ago..
Howard is a Power-Hitter who is going to go thru hot and cold cysles over a course of a Season, but there is no doubt that he continues to be one of the top Run Producers in all of MLB year in and year out and id fans don’t think he’s producing enough, then they are not paying attention to what is happening around the League.. Over the last 5 Seasons, you have Puljos,
A-Rod and Howard as the Top Run Producers in MLB, Phils Fans need to appreciate the special talents & consistency that Howard demonstrates for these type of Pwer Hitters/Run PRoducers don’t come around too often and are not as consistent as Howard has been, so enjoy it while you can ..
Could he cutdown on his strikeouts, could he increase his batting avg a bit , sure he could, but give me a .260 Hitter with 40 HR’s and a 130 RBI’s every year and I’ll build my line-up around a player like this.. The other batters and especially Rollins,Victorino,Polanco & Utley all have to do their part too and be the facilitators that start things off for the “Big Guy”..
This is the same thing that happens every year for him until he turns it on and carries the team. And we also have this argument every year. He is one of the most productive clean-up hitters in the league and that is how I look at it.
But… the fact is that his numbers are down this year and they were last year. And before you defend last year, by saying that he missed 15-17 games, he did the same thing in he hit 16 more HRs and had 28 RBI in one more total game. He had 31HRs and 108 RBI which is great for most players in the league, but not for a guy that averages over 40 and 130-140.
If you look at his #s this year, the RBI are there, but it looks like the HRs are low. His BA is also .26 lower than his career numbers.People may think that this is a continuation from last year, but they would be forgetting that he generally is a monster in the second half, particularly in September. Now add that to the fact that the whole offense is struggling and who are people going to scapgoat first? The clean-up hitter and honestly, the guy who makes 25 mil That contract is not his fault, but fans expect another level when you make that much money. Whether that is right or wrong is another discussion.
I think that he will put up numbers that are closer to his career averages (unfortunately including Ks) than last year and he will be everyone’s hero again, but he will always be a lightning rod for discussion because of his numbers in the past and because of his salary.
Pman is right about his D. He is vastly improved from a couple of years ago.
Last thought. I agree with you G, but never feel bad for a guy with a plane. Or in this case a guy who makes $25 mil per year.
Howard is having a good year, I have no bones to pick with him. I think he needs to make teams pay when they intentionally load the bases to get to him though….that’s just embarrassing.
We need to get Hunter Pence for the 5 hole and FAST. If we don’t get Pence and the Braves do, the Braves will take the division.
Not making any excuses, but when you look around the NL and MLB in general, the overall Pitching has improved across the Sport and many Offensive stats,Batting averages,Runs Batted-In and Power #’s are down across the board… maybe it’s the Sterioids/PED’s that are finally cycled out of the Sport, maybe the emphasis on more “Specialized Pitching” by Teams aor maybe today’s young Pitchers are better Scouted,better Coached and better Prepared from an earlier age than a few years ago.. but either way, the Pitching has improved a lot over the last couple of years in MLB and I don’t think we will see 4-5 players from every team hitting 25-35 HR’s like we used a few years back..
Hunter PEnce would be a perfect #5 Hitter and RF in this Phillie Line-up
at only 26 years of age, he is just hitting his prime and has averaged about
20 HR’s- 80 RBI’s in his 4-5 year career thus far.. The Question and decision becomes who do you trade to Houston to get him.. Houston is in a complete Re-building mode and will only want young players and pitchers in return and would not be interested in over-paid veteran players like a Ibanez/Blanton/Lidge/Baes.
If you are the Phils, do you trade a Worley or Kendrick and a Stutes and a Martinez or even D Brown to the Astros to get a Pence
With so many teams in playoff contention this season, there will be many “Buyers” in the trade market for very few “Sellars”.. The aksing price for established Veterans will be sky high in young prospects and if you are the Phils you have to also look at the next 2-3 Years where this Phillie Roster will chanve over a lot due to expiring contracts and a older roster..
You can’t trade all your young prospects for Ibanez,Rollins,Polanco,Utley are all hitting the twilights of their careers and have played lots of games over the years..and the Bullpen with Lidge,Contreras,Baes are getting up there too and signing a Madson to keep along with Stutes & Madson to go along with the Top 3 Starters in Hallady/Lee/Hamels keeps the Phils Competitive for the next 2-3 Seasons even if the Offense is just medicore and middle of the pack
Worley/Brown/Blanton for Pence and a prospect — get it done.
I love Worley, but he’s expendable. Brown is going to be good in the future…..we don’t need the “future” right now, we need the “present” — Pence is that.
How about Singleton in the minors. Dude has a lot of value and he can only play 1st. Probably never going to make the team. Not ready to give Dom Brown away yet. If Worley has to go, then I wouldn’t like it, but I could accept it.
Pence would require the phils to deplete the farm system and/or give up a front line starter, not just Worley alone, forget it, forget it, the phils need a solid, b plus bat, not a prospect with tremendous upside
As to Howard, one of the most underrated ballplayer in MLB, no flash, no talk, just produces, a gem in Philadelphia, and coming off the bench in the all star game who would rather see, the speedy and light hitting victorino or a modern day slugger?
@jakedog — did you just call Hunter Pence a prospect?
Dom Brown is a “prospect”. Vance Worley is a “prospect”. Stutes is a “prospect”. Hunter Pence is arguably the best RF in baseball — wtf are you talking about?
I would give up a #4 starter and a “prospect” RF for an all-star RF in a heartbeat.
No team like the Astros who are completely rebuilding is going to want Blanton and his bloated Salary..
A Deal would have to include a Worley,& Brown and probably a Kendrick and young prospect..
I would like the Phils to talk to the Orioles about CF Adam Jones who becomes a free-agent and I believe the Orioles may have a tough time in re-signing him, He;s 26 and has all the Tools to be an All-Star Caliber player for the next 5-6 Years and could take over CF allowing S Victorino to replace LF Ibanez next season.. Could plug in A Jones 2nd or 5th in the Line-up
yo g, i know where you’re coming from, but my anger with howard isn’t that he isn’t among the best. he could easily be THE best. i’m dumbfounded that this man who has been playing baseball his whole life cannot adjust to an offspeed pitch. he just can’t do it. and he gets himself out all of the time. he is great, but he could be better
It’s Amaro’s fault that Howard gets all the criticism. He rushed to give him $25 million, when at the time was in season & he was already under contract, another year. Although Howard is great, & the greatest 1st basemen that we’ve ever had, he is a mediocre DF 1st basemen & strikes out a ton & is not worth $25 M. It’s also Amaro’s fault that Howard has to try & be Superman, every at bat, because of the baron waste land put behind him 5-8. If Howard along with half the other team, could consistently go the other way with the ball, instead of trying for the fences, they could average 5-6 runs a game.
Ignore, everything I said prior. HAHAHA!!!
Damn, we spanked the Marlins like a girl in the doggie position.
I think that as Pman stated Adam Jones may be a better solution. The Astros don’t want to trade Pence for a multitude of reasons including the fact that he is good, young and signed through 2013. Jones is a great young talent, but it would be a risk to trade for him since he would be a free agent.