The End Is Rarely Sweet

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard had his hand in the success of the franchise during the 2000’s and early 2010’s. In 2005, Howard hit 22 home runs with 63 runs batted in as he became the first Phillies player since Scott Rolen in 1997 to be named as the National League’s Rookie of the Year. In 2006, Howard set a single-season season franchise record by hitting 58 home runs which led to him being named as the MVP of the N.L. In 2007, Howard went yard 47 times in helping the Phillies win their first N.L. East Title since 1993. And in 2008, Howard hit 48 homers as the Phillies won their first World Series Championship since 1980. The Phillies would continue to be a World Series contender which resulted in former team general manager Ruben Amaro given Howard a five-year extension that was worth $125 million in 2010. This contract was added on to Howard’s previous contract which has kept him in Philadelphia through this year with a team option of $23 million for next season. But Howard’s numbers at the plate are no longer keeping up with his enormous salary which is the main issue.

Ever since Howard suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2011 National League Divisional Series, his power numbers have dipped mightily. Howard has never hit more than 23 home runs in a year since then while he has become a liability for the Phillies. This year Howard is only batting .151 with 11 home runs and 25 runs batted in, while also striking out 65 times. Howard has been reduced to a part-time player as he is splitting time with Tommy Joseph at first base and his struggles have also brought out the boo birds in Philadelphia.

The low light for Howard came during the Phillies 6-3 loss on June 4 to the Milwaukee Brewers. Howard was used as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning, but he would end up making the last out of the game. And as Howard walked back to the Phillies dugout, a fan threw a bottle in his direction that landed near him on the field. However as Howard has struggled at the plate, he nor does any other professional athlete deserve that kind of treatment from fans.

You can’t blame Howard for his contract as that falls into the lap of Amaro as when the Phillies re-signed Howard, they were rolling. But Amaro never took into consideration that Howard would become an aging player. And when the Phillies began to slip from being a contending team in 2012, Amaro missed multiple opportunities to trade Howard to an American League team which would have allowed him to shed his salary, while the slugger could have found a new life as a designated hitter.

Now the Phillies are under new management with Andy MacPhail serving as the team’s president of baseball operations and Matt Klentak serving as the general manager. The Phillies have not had a winning record since 2011, while each of the last two years have seen them finish in the basement of the National League East. And with that MacPhail and Klentak are looking to get the Phillies younger and back into contention for a postseason spot which means that Howard is not a top priority for them.

The Phillies do have a $10 million buyout option if they decide to balk at bringing Howard back for 2017 at the rate of $23 million. And by the looks of things, Howard’s time with the Phillies appears to be coming to an end, while the same thing can be said about his Major League Baseball career overall.

Howard should be remembered as one of the best power hitters in Phillies franchise history as his 368 career home runs are second on the franchise’s all-time list, while he was a vital member of only the second World Series Champion for the club. It’s unfortunate that we live in a “what have you done for me lately” society, but the folks in Philadelphia must remember what the Phillies were before players such as Howard came up through their system in the mid-2000’s, while not focusing on his struggles in the twilight of his career.

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By | 2016-07-01T13:57:16+00:00 July 1st, 2016|Categories: Major League Baseball|Tags: , |0 Comments

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