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Ryan Howard (born November 19, 1979 in Saint Louis, Missouri) is a baseball player who currently plays for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Drafted in the 5th round of the 2001 draft, Howard quickly ascended the Phillies' minor league system, earning the MVP award in the Florida State League in 2003, and in the Eastern League in 2004. He played in 19 games for the 2004 Phillies as a first baseman. He hit 2 home runs and hit .282. Between playing for the AA Reading Phillies, the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, and the major league Phillies, Howard hit 48 home runs, which was the highest total in organized baseball in 2004.
In 2005, Howard took over first base duties for the injured Jim Thome, and won the Rookie of the Year award for the National League. Like Thome, the left-handed power hitter has a penchant for hitting opposite-field home runs into the left field flower bed at Citizens Bank Park.
Howard finished 2005 with 22 home runs and 63 runs batted in in just 385 plate appearances, but Thome's expensive contract gives the Phillies a difficult decision to make during the offseason. Possibilities include trying Howard in left field, trading Howard, or trading Thome, which would almost certainly include agreeing to pay a large portion of his salary.
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