Saturday September 15th, 2012

John Burns:  The 2012 season has been anything but normal for the Philadelphia Phillies and Ryan Howard. The 32 year-old was out till June after tearing his Achilles in the postseason last year against the St. Louis Cardinals. Howard has consistently been one of the top first baseman in the league for a while now. This season has been a little different for him so far: First of all, his team the Philadelphia Phillies, are 16.5 behind the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East, Second, Howard has only had a little over 200 at bats this season due to injury. The power is still there for Howard. In 58 games, played he has 41 RBIs and 10 homers. That might not be the numbers you expect from Howard, but you have to give the guy a break. He is coming back from arguably one of the worst injuries in sports.

One thing to point out is lack of protection in the lineup Howard is receiving this year. In years past, he has had guys like Hunter Pence, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez, and Pat Burrell hitting in front of him or behind him in the Philly lineup. The Phillies lineup has changed completely and it has shown in Howard’s stats. When Ryan Howard had a healthy Chase Utley and Jayson Werth hitting in front or behind him is when his numbers were the best. In 2006, Howard hit 58 homers along with 149 RBIs and won the NL MVP. The year he won the MVP is when Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were both in their primes and helped anchor the Phillies lineup. It is proven that Howard needs the help of others in the lineup to produce. That doesn’t mean he isn’t capable to carry a team on his back. But he can’t do it on his own for the most part.

As of next season expect a lot from Ryan Howard. It all depends what direction the Phillies go in the offseason. If Philly goes out and gets a proven hitter, then expect a big year from Howard. It will be interesting to see if the Phillies stick with John Mayberry Jr., who has really turned it on during the past month or so. If Howard has a strong offseason of rest of training and can manage to stay healthy, expect the normal 30-40 homers and 100 plus RBIs for Howard in 2013. Philly must take the good with the bad because it is almost a given that Howard will finish top-5 in the league in strikeouts.

The season is not over for the Phillies or Ryan Howard yet. As of September 15^th the Phillies stand only 3 games back from the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wildcard spot. Can you believe it? If the Phillies do find themselves in the playoffs, it will be truly an amazing comeback. They went from not even being discussed to only 3 games from the playoffs. Ryan Howard is only a .259 career hitter in the playoffs but does hold the Phillies record, with 33 career RBIs in the playoffs.

Do not be surprised if Ryan Howard carries the Phillies in October if they do indeed get into the postseason. He has been seeing the ball a lot better recently and is finally able to play 1^st base on a regular basis. He is going to hit over .300 the rest of the way. But if he gets into one of his power surges, watch out. Ryan Howard is hungry for another parade on Broad Street and he could very well be contending with the Phillies for a long time.

(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)

 John Burns- MLB reports Intern: I am a highschool junior, play 1st base and catcher. I am a diehard Phillies fan. I was born in Philadelphia but now live in Virginia. I come from a huge baseball family and just love the game. My cousin was drafted by the New York Mets in the 2008 MLB draft. My favorite players are Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz, and Ryan Howard. I tweet all the time and you can follow me on twitter (@JohnBurns_MLB)***

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