Philadelphia Phillies Fans, Do Not Be so Quick to Write off Ryan Howard

As a devout Phillies fan, I will admit that I’ve not always been Ryan Howard‘s biggest fan. He cannot run particularly well, even when completely healthy, he strikes out too much and his fielding is mediocre, at best.

It is possible that we all had “Babe Ruth-type” expectations for the man after his Herculean 2006 NL MVP season, in which it seemed that nobody could pitch anywhere to him without serious reprisal. However, as is the case with many hitters—particularly power hitters—pitchers figured out ways to get the “Big Piece” out. 

That does not mean that the big man does not have value—extreme value—to the Phils, though. 

In this new age world of Sabermetrics, what the “new stat guys” fail to recognize, or at least admit, is that stats do not tell the whole story; they almost never do. You can give me all the WAR stats you want (an unreliable “stat” at best, and many believe it’s one that has not been accurate even within itself), but WAR does not measure the impact that a player’s presence has upon his lineup.

Ryan Howard is the “Big Piece” for a reason. 

Though the Phillies do have other dynamic and better overall players, nobody has the impact on the lineup that Howard does. 

Howard’s presence affects how everyone around him is pitched to. It is no coincidence that Jayson Werth’s best years by far came while hitting fifth behind the big man. His presence has also allowed Chase Utley to see better pitches over the brunt of his career.

Simply put, he scares opposing pitchers—even the left-handers that get him out more often than not.

However, that is not the only value that Howard has.

It comes down to this: For all of Ryan Howard’s inefficiencies, he is a run producer. This is a man who played approximately half of a season in 2012, hit below .220 and still was on pace for over 100 RBI. 

The man knocks in runs, plain and simple.

Does it frustrate me when he strikes out? Of course it does. Am I forced to admit that I’ll take the K’s with another 35/110 season? Absolutely!

Yes, Ryan Howard makes a lot of money to do what he does. Is he still the 40-45 homer 130-140 RBI guy that he was from 2006-09? Probably not. But is he a 30-35 homer 110-120 RBI guy? More than likely.

Is it okay with me that he makes all that money to give us that and provide that lineup presence? Absolutely, because we’ve seen what the Phils‘ lineup is like without Howard. 

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