From MVP to MLB’s Worst Contract - The Career of Ryan Howard 

As a diehard Phils fan, he was my absolute hero as a kid. But man, those later years were hard to watch

Ryan Howard was the youngest executive VP in the history of Dunder Mifflin. Then he would end up working in a bowling alley.

Howard’s team defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 WS, and then the Rays were a huge part of the popularization of the shift.

I think Chris Davis' contract is way worse!! Howard got hurt and never was the same. Davis just flat out sucks now.

He used to live near me. Met him at church one time when I was like 11 his hands are ENORMOUS. Really nice guy

Man, I loved Ryan Howard! I always thought he was so good, but I was too young then to notice anything other than HRs. If he didn’t have that injury.... HOFer

Rin Sandburg lmao. He's in the HoF bro, come on.

As a Braves fan this dude game me absolute nightmares during his prime. One of the best power hitters from the left side I’d ever seen.

I used to love using Ryan Howard's batting stance in MLB the show back in the day... he was a beast to bad about that injury though

Ryan Howard's contract is the worst in baseball history. Chris Davis: Hold my beer

He’s on the all-time list of what ifs. An absolute beast of a player who was never the same after his injury. That story is as old as time.

The last play of the NLDS was the most heartbreaking play in my lifetime. Not only did it end the season but it ended that era with Howard’s Achilles tear. The Phillies haven’t played in a playoff game since that play

He's also a hell of a nice guy.

My favorite player of all time. In a perfect world I’d love to see his career without getting hurt and the use of the shift. Easy 500 hrs maybe 600

“Rin Sanberg” and “Ralph Kinner” both HOFers bro you gotta get their names right!

Ryan Howard was an absolute beast. He was going to the hall of fame until that injury

This was a wonderful video, man. You do great work.

He did his damn best, but could never fully recover from that ruptured Achilles. It’s still tough to watch that clip. As a Phils fan I’ve enjoyed Ryan’s career and was lucky to watch it, definitely came with peaks and valleys.

I never understood why his fielding stats were so low and was considered a terrible fielder yes he was slow but I watched enough Phillies games where he would never miss a pick, constantly make great diving plays, and most impressive make these over the shoulder catcher running straight back I can’t think of that many first baseman who can consistently make that catch

I started watching the Phillies again back in 2005 with my Dad like I used to when I was a little kid. It was amazing to see the progress from almost making the playoffs in 06’ to them winning the World Series in 2008! I eventually lost interest in baseball again around 2010 but recently I asked my Dad while he was watching the Phillies what happened to Ryan Howard? I was shocked when my Dad told me that he was sent back to the minor leagues! However he is still beloved in my eyes.

This channel deserves more subs. Great work

His career trajectory isn’t *that* crazy, imo. His first full season was his age-26 season. No batter (post-1920 and not counting guys affected by the color barrier) has made the Hall of Fame after having their first full season after turning 25. In fact, the only two guys I can think of who had HoF careers after debuting at age 24 are Sam Rice (who played in the 1920s and 30s) and Wade Boggs. Also, looking at his similarity scores, his numbers were most comparable to guys like Mo Vaughn (first 500 PA season at age 25, last at 34) Richie Sexson (first 500 PA at 24, last at 31) and Cecil and Prince Fielder (Cecil’s were 26 and 32, Prince was 22 and 31). So, yeah, he wasn’t likely destined for a long career regardless of the Achilles injury. Edit: I have been reminded that Edgar Martinez and Ichiro are also exceptions to this general rule about HoF careers and first full season age. However, both of these guys were not lumbering sluggers like Howard; Edgar was the most well-rounded hitter since Teddy Ballgame and Ichiro was a speedy contact hitter who played a fantastic right field. Ichiro was also delayed from reaching the MLB due to rules regarding Japanese players at the time. Nonetheless, the point stands that Howard was never likely to have a long HoF career, especially given his skill set and relatively advanced age.

This was a nice upload. Thank you

I'm a Phillies fan. He was a beast when he got called up. He helped us win a WS in 08.

Good video. I have to agree that both the injury (which I saw on TV and went kind of eeeewwwwww when I saw it on replay) and the shift did in his career and his HOF chances, but I didn't realize that the decline was already starting by the time the injury occurred. The more you learn, especially as I, like most Phils fans, liked Ryan.

Just now seeing this video. This is gonna hurt will update at the end. It really hurt. Having watched Howard’s career my whole life and as a Phillies fan it hits home

Ryan Howard ended his career with 382 HR, the same number as Frank Howard. They're not related but funny how that happened

I am enjoying your work. More, please.

As a Phillies fan I can’t complain because he did lead the team to 2 World Series. Although the only playoff game I’ve ever been to is the one where he tore his Achilles and that was heartbreaking

Dang u unlocked a memory I'm a red Sox fan since 04 but Ryan Howard was my idol right along with Ortiz I designed my game around those two

This was the guy I wanted to be as a kid, him and Carlos Ruiz were my idols thank you for talking about him!

I'm a Missouri State grad so I'll always love this guy even if he never played for my team, the Cardinals but it was sad to watch him plummet near the end of his career.

I know that he didn't win ROY and MVP in consecutive years, but Fred Lynn did win them both in the SAME year in 1975. Not too bad.

good video I'm surprised you don't have more subs

When playing for the Lakewood Blueclaws (Single A team for Phillies) he hit a homerun and hit a car the team had on display in the outfield.

Ryan Howard is from St. Louis and I was always rooting for him, when he tore his Achilles in the NLDS against my Cardinals it made their victory a little bitter sweet

It's a shame really. He was an extremely likeable player with a tremendous upside. Well liked among his peers and across most baseball fan bases. Similar in regards to prince fielder where both were elite level power hitters who were capable of hitting the ball further than practically everyone else at the time they played during normal game play, yet both careers were ended by nagging injuries that essentially devalued their prior accomplishments while both being loved across the league. Much respect, and they said it best when they said even a replacement level or below replacement level baseball player is a tremendously good baseball player and still a professional athlete. His WAR I feel was slightly obscured at the tail end of his career by the tremendous upswing of home runs being hit across the league at the time he faded out, devaluing his power he still possessed

i"ll always remember Ryan Howard as the guy with "The Nose"

As an Orioles fan Ryan Howard’s career was extremely similar to Chris Davis They were both lefty power hitters that had about 4-5 years of elite play then got horrible contracts and for a multitude of reasons fell off completely

Do you remember when he did the Red Bull challenge where he tried to hit a 700 foot home run? Seems like he's declined happened around then too. It had the same affect the Home Run Derby has on some power hitters.

As a bravesfan I remember that 2006 season. Boy was it a magical one for that kid

Ryan Howard at his best had some of the best power to the opposite field gap and center field of any player I have ever seen. Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramirez rank up there for me as well. This is just based on what I've seen. I could put Bonds there but he pulled most of his home runs.

Am from reading met him many times was great to the fans played catch with son...love those reading days

So this is why he ended up at Dunder Mifflin.

Ralph Ky-Ner. Rye-an Sandberg. They are two of the greatest to ever play. How is it possible to not know how to pronounce their names?

Good work generally. Your analysis was accurate. Howard really wasn’t the pariah people made him out to be at the end of his career. At the time, we Phillies fans really thought he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. An Achilles’ tendon injury is just super hard to come back from. Plus, he got lousy hitting coach advice. Just as you said, all because of the shift. People would say, just let Howard be Howard, he doesn’t need to change anything. But given they way the shift infiltrated baseball, he needed to adjust and he just didn’t. I would hear people say, “I’m not paying good money for tickets to see Ryan Howard bunt.” OK. Are you paying good money to see him strike out and hit it directly to a fielder? Anyway, enjoyed your work. Yeah, I’ve had minor errors in my videos, like name mispronunciations, too (Ryne Sandberg). Don’t let that get you down. I like your storytelling approach. Stop by my channel, I try to do something similar, but focusing on Philadelphia baseball history (hence the name 😁).

Keep in mind how time changes minds & if someone today hit given the NL had the DH he would’ve been called up & been able to switch with Jim Thome. It’s hard to believe someone with that success wouldn’t get called up sooner.

As a cards fan ill always remember when he got hurt running ro the bag at first. I was more worried about that as a cards fan than us winning the nlds. I can appreciate greatness and i was sad bc i new he might not be the same

He was in the crowd at the 2012 all star game, found it weird he wasn’t in a box or closer to the field/home plate than he was

The Achilles injury was a HUGE factor in his decline because it noticeably sapped his power. Had he not suffered that injury his hitting lines would have likely slowly declined with age instead of falling off a cliff. It was pretty awe-inspiring watching him hit a long HR or hitting one 400ft the opposite way. Very few players since the Steroid era have or had his raw power (Stanton and maybe Judge).

Ryan Howard's career declined primarily due to injuries, particularly to his Achilles tendon. He suffered a significant Achilles injury in the 2011 postseason, which impacted his mobility and overall performance. Additionally, as he aged, his production declined, as is common with many professional athletes. Despite his decline in later years, Howard still had an impressive career and is remembered as one of the most dominant power hitters of his era.

My favorite player of all time!

Aaron Judge’s and Giancarlo Stanton’s careers are all but done due to injury now. Only I’m not broken up about it because I’m a Red Sox fan lol. On a similar note the league should’ve never allowed what Jeter did to the Marlins.

He was a good player, sorry about the injury. Reminds me of Justin Morneau. Diff injury but same devastating effect.

Ryan Howard was SO DOPE. That Dudes #’s were unbelievable to start his career. 1st 6 Years were definitely HOF Caliber. Too Bad his career fell off so drastically and the way it did, after the last out of The NLCS. J Roll, Utley & Howard was an iF Murders Row of their own.

In an alternate universe, Reuben Amaro waited till the end of the season to sign him, and got him at a discount due to injury.

It's Ralph Kiner, not Ralph "Kinner."

Kiner and Sandberg are both pronounced differently. Other than that cool video.

No recollection of Howard's 2006 MVP?? How old are you exactly?

He was on an episode of the Office. Looks like he was already looking for other avenues for his career at that time.

Fastest to 50 HR…100HR…150 HR…200 HR…250 HR…300 HR DUDE WAS A BEAST WITH THE STICK! BEST HR HITTER OF THE NON-STEROID ERA! GOOD VIDEO!

Doesnt baseball reference have pronunciation guides you can use?

This is a sports channel. About sports for sports fans. So I can't let this one go. Ralph Kiner's name is NOT pronounced Kinn - Err. It's pronounced Ralph Kye - Nerr. Rhymes with liner. Usually that would not be a big deal, but come on man, the dude is a sports legend. If not for his baseball play, then for his legendary drunken rants on the post Mets game broadcasts of "Kiner's Corner", which he hosted after 9 innings of baseball and consumption of frosty alcoholic beverages. Legend.

My favorite mlb player ever

While his contract was terrible and all, at the end of the day Howard with Rollins brought Phillies baseball "back" They sold out every game for years and years. They were an exciting team. They won a ring (and the last one was in 1980) and that's what matters. If Howard got his 5/125 deal to buy out his arbitration years (meaning he never got the 3 year extension) this would be a much different conversation. The Phillies always were but thanks to 2005-2012 are now a huge market team capable of large payrolls. They have Howard to thank for that. With Rollins and Hamels as well. Then getting the late great Doc Holladay. I'm a Marlins fan. And I even enjoyed those Phillies teams. Those years the Marlins knocked the Mets out of playoff contention twice in row. I actively rooted for the Phil's in the 08/09 series. Real good times. Point being there are definitely worse contracts. Like Pujols and Davis. Even the one Marlins gave Jose Reyes. The deals Hanley and Panda signed with the Red Sox. All way worse.

Are you the same guy who runs the Company Man youtube channel? I swear ya'll got the same exact voice lol

I remember what Bill Parcells once said about players receiving huge contracts: for a lot of them it's like winning the lottery. And what's the first thing you do when you win the lottery? Quit your job!

Gen Z Philly fanatics love Ryan Howard. As a Yankees fan I definitely remember lol.

I'm a dodger fan, so I hated him and Matt Stairs when they destroyed them in the NLCS in 08 and 09. But now that I'm not a kid anymore, I'm just happy I got to watch him during his prime.

Growing up i always wanted to see the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series and thanks to Ryan Howard i finally did. Ryan Howard didn’t have the worst contact because he did what a lot of MLB greats never did won ROY. MVP. 2 World Series appearances. World Series Champion. That’s not a bad career at all Ryan Howard will always be remembered for playing a big part in bringing a World Championship to Philadelphia.

As a lifelong Phillies fan I'm almost afraid to click on this video because of the heartbreak associated 😂

Towards the end of his contract in Philadelphia he was hitting more and more home runs

That's Ralph Kiner with a long I. Rhymes with Fine. I wouldn't of known that had he not been one of the greatest broadcasters of all time. Before Ron, Keith and Gary, Kiner was the voice of the Mets for decades. And he was ahead of his time. In time long before sabermetrics became mainstream he espousing the value of on base percentage and other formerly underappreciated stats.

This video makes me sad because I’m a DIE HARD PHILLIES FAN & This bring back so many memories... This dude was Literally the Truth in His Prime & I can keep going on & on but that’s another debate for another day... To anybody that’s watching this remember y’all, Keep Going & Be Safe 🤟🏾💯 P.S also remember In 2005 & 2006 He beat out David Wright for ROY, MVP & H.R.D (Home.Run.Derby) sorry Mets Fans it’s all Love Baby 🤣🤣🤣 Fun Fact: Cole Hamles actually won NLCS MVP

"Bad contract" just means the player got paid. Good for him. There's no list of guys that over-produced based on previous expectations and ended up being criminally underpaid. NFL has dozens of those guys every year. Everyone not taken in first round in NFL should get large production bonuses built in.

I heard he now works as a salesman for a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Is the under preforming power hitter gincarlo Stanton?

Baseball’s a freaking WILD game. You telling me Howard only got one silver slugger??

Remember when Brian Wilson K'd Howard in 2010 in the NLDS to send SF to the World Series! Ahhh I do... 😊❤

Ryan Howard won NLCS MVP IN 2009, Cole Hamels won NLCS & WS MVP IN 2008

Although Ryan Howard never played for the Cardinals. Being from st Louis, I've always liked Ryan Howard.

can you do on what happened to Ubaldo Jimenez

Rinn Sandberg?? That hurt my soul. Ryne (Rhino!) Sandberg is one of the best Chicago Cubs ever. Hall of Famer and one of my favorite players to watch as a kid.

Bobby Bonilla hasn’t played for them since 1999, but the Mets have paid him $1,193,248.20 every July 1 and that goes until 2035.

Howard is one of the best run generators ever. I mean he set the record for fastest to 1000 RBI's, when two of those seasons were after his Achilles injury that ruined his career. He also didn't cheat to get his legendary numbers either like most of the guys with better single season numbers

I'm going to think about that "Rin" Sandberg line for the rest of my life.

I remember when he came onto the team, and then left. Two different people man.

He injured his ankle and was never the same. Then the achilles tear on the last at bat of the nlds.

anybody gonna talk about how Chris Davis and Khris Davis both had 195 strikeouts in 2017 and are right next to eachother other on the leaderboard?

My birds had a similar bad contract with Crush Chris Davis, a monster HR hitter that fell off big time.

Buster Posey also got ROY in 2010 and he had a season ending injury in 2011 so in Poseys first full season in 2012 he got MVP. U forgot to mention that among the group of notables... Dam imagine if Howard wouldnt of got hurt. He'd mos def be a 500 HR hitter. Crazy. It's hard headed of Ryan Howard not to adjust to the shift... it's not hard to swing just a little less hard to beat the shift..

Hard to really believe anything from a guy that says Ralph Kiner, it’s KIner, and Ryne Sandburg not Rin

Damn shame what happened to Howard. If he could have played next year with the shift being banned his career would have turned out so much differently

7:34 Isn’t the golden sombrero 5 k’s in a game? Hat trick is 3, sombrero is 4, and golden sombrero is 5?

What happened to Tony Gwynn jr

The answer to the question of how does an MVP go to grass overnight is very simple and shows just how important that poor little achilles tendon in back of your legs is.

The shift was always there against Howard (maybe it increased by 5% but I remember it almost always being there), so whoever wrote that nonsensical shift piece is full of crap as though the shift was implemented and then Howard began to struggle. The shift was there his entire career, so nothing had changed aside from Howard becoming a less effective hitter and perhaps pitchers knowing how to pitch him more effectively, but I think it was more about Howard. He was always a bit of a guess hitter, because when he would, miss he would miss by a lot. he would try to predict the pitch before hand and swing in that location. Many batters do that to some extent, but I think Howard almost solely relied on guess hitting.

Do you mean that guy named Christian Davison for the underperformed?

Man he looks so much like Big Pappi when he swings that bat. Put a Red Sox uniform on him and you couldn't tell them apart.

Not as drastic, but Frank Thomas after 98 or 99, and of course taking away his near MVP 2000 season, had a tale of two halves career. Until 98 or 99 he was awesome, great average, OBP, & OPS-which may not have been lower than 1.1, expect for his rookie year. Then pitchers figured him out, and his number slipped- I think that 2000 season was the only season when his OPS was over 1.1, but not any other year. Then some injuries, then age slowed him down. Some years, his numbers looked good, but that's because he played half a season.