November 21, 2006
Reason #6 To Love Philadelphia: Ry-Ho
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Last night, the Cira Center was lit up with a giant Phillies 'P.' Ryan Howard, a 27-year-old second year player, is MVP of the National League. Who woulda thunk it?
After the Phillies signed Jim Thome for the 2003 season, Ryan Howard was expected to be moved. Well, okay, back then nobody really knew who Howard was, but once we all heard of this first baseman in 2004 who was hitting home runs at a ridiculous clip, we figured he'd be traded, since Big Jim was entrenched at first base.
An injury to Thome and a Rookie of the Year award later, it was Thome who was shipped out of town. But Ryan Howard's second year was better than anyone could have imagined. He didn't just have incredible stats, he was a force. Teams didn't pitch to him. Teams were afraid of him. And, yet, he still managed to hit 58 homers.
It's not just his stats, though. Ryan Howard is the most likable Philadelphia athlete in recent memory. He's easygoing, he's friendly and he really seems like a truly nice person. He's, as they say, a gentle giant.
So let's celebrate Ryan Howard today, by simply asking him one question: Can you play linebacker? The Eagles need somebody who can tackle.
All-Howardful [Daily News]
The State of Phily Sports [Mike's Baseball Rants]
List of Ryan Howard's notable home runs [Wikipedia]
Ryan Howard's franchise records [Wikipedia]
Posted by D-Mac on November 21, 2006 09:46 AM
Posted to Phillies
, Reasons To Love Philadelphia
, Ryan Howard
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I was able to draft Ryan Howard 5th in my fantasy league, which is one reason why I was able to come in first place. He gave me monster fantasy stats. It's too bad I won't be able to snag him next year, because I draft pitching first, and there's no way anyone should let this kid go past the first round.
With that said, Fire Joe Morgan had some interesting numbers today:
Pujols WARP3: 12.9
Howard WARP3: 9.4
Pujols VORP: 85.4
Howard VORP: 81.5
Pujols EqA: .357
Howard EqA: .346
Pujols FRAR: 28
Howard FRAR: -4
Pujols WPA: 9.24
Howard WPA: 8.20
Worth noting. Obviously the Baseball Writers Association of America doesn't pay attention to much outside of the fantasy land in their own heads, so here's some more traditional stats:
Pujols AVG: .331
Howard AVG: .313
Pujols HR: 49
Howard HR: 58
Pujols RBI: 137
Howard RBI: 149
Pujols OBP: .431
Howard OBP: .425
Pujols SLG: .671
Howard SLG: .659
Pujols probably would have hit 54 homers and 153 RBI if he played as many games as Howard (remember, Pujols was injured). I'm not saying Howard doesn't deserve the MVP, I'm just saying Pujols is still the better player.
Posted by: ChrisV82 at November 21, 2006 04:54 PM