Phillies Nation

47 Responses to “Commentary: An Open Letter To Ryan Howard”

1. Geoff Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 12:16 pm

   well said.

2. chrism Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 12:31 pm

   thank you for that tim… you took the words right out of my mouth . nicely said. this guy doesn’t care though

3. Jacki Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 12:43 pm

   He is such a dissapointment and disgusting to watch. I agree you tell him man! No wonder the Phillies didn’t sign him to a long term contract. He needs to listen, be disciplined and work hard. He can be great like you said, but it’s going to take a while like you said. I hope it comes. I hope he doesn’t become the biggest crash and burn of baseball. I like the guy, but he’s making it SOOOO hard for me and everybody else!

4. rob Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 1:07 pm

   “…a man who has been feared by more pitchers in one season than probably any hitter in the history of the game”.

   Oh my god Tim, please tell me that you’re joking.

5. Geoff Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 1:10 pm

   Id definitely try to con some team into taking him on in exchange for 3 or 4 really good prospects of both sorts. somebody (yankees) has to be desperate enough to do that.

6. Tim Malcolm Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 1:20 pm

   rob: Not joking. Obviously it’s a debateable statement, but you can’t argue that his MVP year he was pitched around and intentionally walked at a tremendous rate.

7. Bruce Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 1:22 pm

   “…a man who has been feared by more pitchers in one season than probably any hitter in the history of the game”.

   I think Tim got carried away in his description of Howard’s MVP year when compared to Ruth, Gehrig, Williams, etc.

8. Tim Malcolm Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 1:25 pm

   Okay, okay, small potatoes. I’ll edit it.

9. Bruce Says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 1:26 pm

   Oh… forgot to mention Barry Bonds with those record breaking amount of intentional walks.

10. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    Thanks, guys, I was emotional when writing this and may have gone a tad overboard with that part. I didn’t want that to be the focus, so I edited it.

11. chrism Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    this is going to be a hard year tp trade howard bc texiera is a free agent at year end….teams would much rather just pay jim then to trade for howard and pay him

12. The South Florida Fan Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    In our opinion, Dan Uggla has surpassed Chase Utley as the premier 2B in the NL this year. We’re curious to know if you guys agree. Here’s our piece:

    http://thesouthfloridafan.blogspot.com/2008/05/his-name-is-dan-uggla.html

    Let’s start a debate!

13. Dan O Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:33 pm

    This accomplished nothing. Howard is in a terrible slump, yes. It happens in baseball, especially to free swinging homerun hitters. He did the same thing last year. Yes he was hurt last year, unlike this year, but he seems to be a traditional slow starter. I don’t know what you want the guy to do to show he cares. Cry and mope around? What does that accomplish. I am sure he is working hard at his craft. At least I hope. When you know for a fact that he isn’t working hard, then call the guy out. But to give up on Howard, as many people have in this city, is ridiculous. Wait in a couple of weeks when he is on a tear and has become the hottest hitter in baseball.

    It will only take him moving closer to the plate and taking the outside corner away from pitchers. If he is being told that and not listening to Milt Thompson or Charlie, then I will be as aggravated as you.

14. Geoff Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:36 pm

    Actually all I want to know about the marlins is whether or not theyll take adam eaton off our hands for somebody to put in the minor leagues.

    I will reserve judgement on uggle until i go to the series with florida next weekend. id say no utleys better, to start with though.

15. The South Florida Fan Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:40 pm

    Wes Helms already has 3 game-winning hits for the Marlins.

    You sure you want to give the Marlins Eaton for nothing? It always backfires.

16. Geoff Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Yeah i was kidding. Its a cardinal sin, and a TOTAL violation of protocol to trade within your division. heck, i dont even like trading with anyone in the NL but its harder not to do that.

    Id give eaton to the texas rangers for a player to be named later though.

    it was arrogant to trade wes helms for one dollar. tahts something andy reid would do. hes going to hurt them at some point this year. especially with a phillies lineup full of dead bats.

17. The South Florida Fan Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    Geoff, I know exactly what you mean.

    It was torture for us every time Jeff Conine came up for you guys, especially when the Marlins kept disrespecting him by intentionally walking Howard.

18. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    “This accomplished nothing. Howard is in a terrible slump, yes. It happens in baseball, especially to free swinging homerun hitters. He did the same thing last year. Yes he was hurt last year, unlike this year, but he seems to be a traditional slow starter. I don’t know what you want the guy to do to show he cares. Cry and mope around? What does that accomplish. I am sure he is working hard at his craft. At least I hope. When you know for a fact that he isn’t working hard, then call the guy out. But to give up on Howard, as many people have in this city, is ridiculous. Wait in a couple of weeks when he is on a tear and has become the hottest hitter in baseball.

    It will only take him moving closer to the plate and taking the outside corner away from pitchers. If he is being told that and not listening to Milt Thompson or Charlie, then I will be as aggravated as you.”

    Thanks for your comments, but I disagree. For one, this is much worse a slump than last year. Yes, he was injured last year, and this year he’s regularly been below .200. Last year he never dipped under .200. His strikeouts are unbelievable.

    I’m not saying he should cry and mope. I’m saying he needs to not play, work on mechanics, go back to basics, learn. We can’t have a hack-happy power hitter up there. And he’s not a free-swinging home run hitter. In fact in his MVP season he took many more pitches and was much more a situational hitter. What I miss are singles and doubles. He’ll hit a homer every five games. Woopee. It’s a solo shot anyway.

    Sure I don’t know what he’s been doing or how he’s been thinking, but I know when a player is playing poorly, he sits. I don’t care about track records. He’s making the team lose NOW. When he’s ready and he can show it, I’m all for having him hit everyday. But right now he’s been horrendous and the only thing to do is keep him out of the lineup.

19. Rick Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    Sit him and let Dobbs play a few games at first. Dobbs bat would be more valuable in the order until Ryan gets himself straightened out.

    I understand you need to play out of a slump, but I’m in agreement with Tim. This is a much worse slump than last year. I’m starting to wonder if there is something else going on with him. Maybe he needs glasses after seeing some of the low and outside pitches he flails at.

    Or move chase to first for a few games, let Bruntlett play 2nd, werth in right, and coste catches. Bruntlett was hitting for average, has some speed, and could help the team manufacture some runs.

    rollins, bruntlett, werth, utley, burrell, dobbs, coste, victorino, pitcher

    This order would remove 2 strikeouts or a strikeout and double play ground ball from Howard and Pete Happy almost everytime they bat. It would also put the hottest bat in the lineup batting 3rd.

20. Sean Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    r u gonna send that to him? u should

21. Eaglecoachesdaughter Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    Wow ~ you are taking this really hard. I know the hitting coach for the Phils and he said that Ryan is taking all of it pretty hard as well. Slumps are not just something you can snap your fingers and then you are out of it. You gotta keep swinging until you get it right. I have also had the pleasure of meeting Ryan. He is a very nice and down to Earth guy. I think it is pretty unfair for people to say that he does not care. You don’t know him, so how can you make an assessment like that?? I say, ride it out and keep the faith.

22. erik Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:47 pm

    agreed with the the coaches daughter. howard showed signs of imporovement over the last few weeks(other than last night) and his ab are getting better. he is fouling of more balls and at least making contact. i have also noticed a more closed stance. the man is trying to right his ship. and honestly, if ANY OF US actually knew the answer to his swing, we would be playing in the majors or coaching in the majors. and since we are all just everyday joes, i think we should let the guys that have EARNED the right to be there work it out. the bottom line to rember in my mind is WE ARE ONLY A GAME AND A HALF OUT playing mediocre ball. Think what will happen when this team starts to click. Oh, and south florida, April NL player of the Month: Chase Utley, not Dan Ugla or any other 2nd baseman or any other player in the NL. So if you would like to argue Ugla’s case, please feel free. I would be happy to oblige your request for debate!

23. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:08 pm

    I never wrote that Howard didn’t care; i fact, I wrote the contrary. What he needs is to clear his mind, step away, forget the slump and figure out what was wrong. Never said he didn’t care.

24. Eaglecoachesdaughter Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    Tim, I was not referring to you when I said the part about Ryan not caring. I was commenting on what chrism posted. You sound like you are a die hard Philly fan, which I am starting to get used to the passion that Phildelphians have for their sports teams. When my Dad first starting coaching in Philly, I did not understand it. But now I am starting to. And I agree with Erik 110%, if we had the answer, we would all be players and coaches in the league.

25. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:18 pm

    Just wanted to make sure, as people have seemed to be reading this a little wrong. Thank you for calling me a die-hard — definitely a compliment.

    If you don’t mind me asking, to which coach are you said daughter?

26. Eaglecoachesdaughter Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    I definitely do not mind. I am the daughter of the running back coach. I, myself, am becoming a die hard Phillies fan. I really like Ryan Howard and since my Dad is good friends with Coach Thompson, I have really taken a liking to the team.

27. mick Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    Unfortunately Howard puts too much pressure on himself–that is his nature. He will come out of this and in the end put up some very large numbers , but it needs to start happening soon and Charlie needs to take some of the pressure off the guy by dropping him down in the order. Stick him in the 6 hole Charlie and you will see a different hitter overnite!!

28. erik Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    i compare the critique of howard to the critique of mcnabb. unfortunetly, what most philadelphians dont remeber is that the eagles were horrendous until we picked up mcnabb, and we have been a contender ever since. we need to give out superstars a little bit of a break. thats all

29. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    Daughter: Well let your dad know he’s done a great job, especially with that third-round draft pick we got back in ‘02. That guy can run a little.

30. Eaglecoachesdaughter Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:54 pm

    I will pass on the good word. He never thinks that anyone appreciates the work that he and the rest of the staff do. Sometimes neither do I, when I come home at Christmas time and listen to the callers on WIP.

31. Mike M. Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    To be quite honest, I don’t see the point if writing such a frustrated letter. His inefficiencies at the plate have developed a prolonged slump for Howard. Howard is definitely a streak hitter. You ask for more singles and doubles, but every ball he hits, is hit hard. He doesn’t find too many bloopers, and he does get his fair share of outs on hard hit balls. He is simply not a batter who will hit for average consistently. With that said, there is no question he is disappointed by his start. And I firmly believe the 10 million dollar payoff he got is not any reason why he is struggling. In fact, it should be an encouragement because he has an opportunity to make more money in another year of arbitration.

    As far as the calls for trading Howard, these theories are insane. Why would he want to trade Howard when he is in such a huge slump, thus selling at the lowest value possible. Howard does have poor numbers in April and May historically (if 3 years can be considered historically) and he always warms up right when the whether warms as well. This letter to Howard is outrageous. I don’t see any merit in writing it because he has expressed frustration himself, has taking extra batting practice, and has never made excuses except to say he’s in a slump.

    Also, everyone knows he’s a strikeout machine. There is an overemphasis on them, but he does need to lessen the k’s. As far as seeing the ball, an angry letter like this will do nothing to help him see the ball.

32. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pm

    Mike: It’s not an “angry” letter. Sure I write “I’m steamed,” but it’s not angry.

    The argument of “every ball he hits, he hits hard” is ludicrous because he’s struck out 1/3 of the time he’s been at the plate. And he hits into the shift more than often.

    I also won’t buy the hot weather theory. You say he’ll never hit for average consistently, but can you explain his .313 average in 2006? By the way, that year he was hitting over .310 for most of April and May. He actually cooled off in June, July and August, going as low as .278, before heating up again into the .300s in September, a colder month. So I don’t buy the heat. Not at all.

    Howard is capable of being a great, consistent hitter. He showed that. Last year he only improved to a .268 average. So can you say he’ll instantly pick it back up and hit well for the rest of the season? Not with his fluctuating splits.

    I know he’s expressed frustration. I know he’s taken extra practice. I know all that. But he needs to sit. He needs time off. That’s the point.

33. Jake Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    Tim,
    That must have felt good to get off your chest, huh? I agree with most of what you wrote. It may have been a bit harsh, but it reflects how many of us feel about Howard’s struggles this year. I hate to blame the 10 mill but he seems to have lost his hunger (at the plate, anyway). How much longer he will struggle and strike out in epic proportions remains a mystery. I still think it’s important to be supportive, booing and criticizing him won’t help his confidence at all. Hopefully he can work his way out of this funk, as it seems to be getting contagious in the past couple weeks. I’m staying optimistic (for now), and I think everyone should for Howard’s sake.

34. Bruce Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 7:02 pm

    I agree with erik that Howard is showing signs of making better contact. Two of his last four HRs were opposite field bombs. As I read from team reports, Howard is keeping his hands back and let the pitches come deeper into strike zone. This gives him a better “read” of the pitch. He is still trying to be consistent with that.

    I’m not so concern with K’s as I am in seeing him produce the big RBIs. I’ll gladly accept those K’s if he can duplicate or come close to the RBI production of the past two years (149 in 2006 and 138 in 2007). I’m sure his manager AND team mates would feel the same.

    One further note; As we know, there’s a long history of premier sluggers with a high ratio of SO’s to Abs throughout their career. What better example than our own Philly favorite, hall of famer Mike Schmidt. During his career, he led the NL in SOs four times, 2nd twice and 3rd three times. He is all time strike out king in Phillies history with 1883. Fans were slow to come around to appreciate him as a great player. He was often booed early in his career by negative “fans” with inaccurate perceptions of him being aloof and difficult. They whined and screamed about him striking out so much. I wonder if history will repeat itself with Howard.

35. erik Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 7:35 pm

    i am tired of the phillies fans arguing. i am ready for south florida. where the hell did he go. to come on here and down utley and then not stick around to defend his blasphemy. i was really looking forward to arguing with him. damn

36. VA Steve Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 8:50 pm

    There has been a ton of anti-Howard sentiment on this blog for the past several months. While it does come from the heart of Phillies fans (and how many times has that stake been driven through our hearts?), however, I think, as I have stated before regarding Howard, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I agree with much of what is said here, but let’s also realize that Howard has not even played three complete seasons. This is his first true test of pressure (regarding his $10 million salary) and the expectations of fans to win a WS championship. Granted, through the first quarter of the season, he is failing, perhaps miserably. Making outs and batting .186 is one thing, but striking out and at least not putting the ball in play is quite another.

    We need to see how he handles this over the next one or two months. This will tell us a lot about Howard, and what future he may have in Philadelphia. Is he a unique and talented as we all thought in 2006 or 2007, or is he perhaps the second coming, albeit a bit better, of Dave Kingman? Now is likely not the time to trade him, as what will he bring to us, being all screwed up? Others will see the downside, not an upside. Let’s give him some time, see how he handles himself and the mounting pressure. As I write this, he is 2-3 tonight, with an rbi double and solo homer.

    I am not ready to give up on Howard, not yet anyway. Of course, many would say stupid me, I haven’t given up on the Phillies since I discovered them in the early 1970’s. I want Howard to be successful, and we need him to be successful. I think we all will have a better guage of Howard the man come the all star break.

    Stay tuned ………………….

37. Randy Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 9:03 pm

    Maybe you should ride him harder after tonights performance.

38. Justin Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 9:05 pm

    I think Ryan Howard logs onto Phillies Nation.

    He just told Tim to be quiet tonight. I want to see him hit the ball hard in consecutive games though.

39. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 9:09 pm

    Now THAT’S what I’m talking about. Keep that going.

40. JEROME MCDOUGLE Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 9:59 pm

    Who does this Ryan Howard think he is earning all this money for a crappy performance. What a poor investment.

41. Charlie Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 10:17 pm

    Keep hating on Howard. Maybe every time you write a scathing open letter he will hit 3 for 5 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs.

42. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 10:36 pm

    Haha it might be worth it, but I think I’ll stick to letting the man be.

43. Mike M. Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 am

    Tim, I still feel you’re argument is rather flaky. Ryan Howard through his career has batted .230 in March/April in May. Obviously, he is batting under his career norm so far in these months. However, this evidence shows that he is commonly a slow starter. When you look at the numbers for June, it shows how he heats up with the weather, or as the season progresses.

    June- .280
    July – .294
    August- .307
    September- .308

    His homeruns show no correlation in the months, which I believe demonstrates why he is a streaky power hitter. I think the most telling stat is that through 233 career games in teh first half of the season, he has batted .251, and in the second half he has batted .310. I know you’re “steamed” and think he should sit, but would you have him sit every April and May for his career. I know you might be thinking he is batting 30 to 40 points under his average for these months, but I don’t think his June numbers will improve if you take away these at bats now and let him see the ball more, and hopefully better.

44. Tim Malcolm Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 am

    The stats are what they are, but it’s too small a sample size. My point is in 2006 his stats were the complete inverse of his 2007 numbers. And 2008 isn’t even half complete. Way too small. I’m also not counting his 2005 numbers because he was called up for two weeks then came back in July.

    It’s not that I want him to sit in April and May. It’s that I know there’s a hitter who doesn’t have to struggle early in the season. We saw it in ‘06, no reason we shouldn’t be able to see it again. This “he’ll heat up when the weather heats up” talk is garbage – you’re a Major League player, making $10MM in the biggest arbitration victory ever, you should hit all season long. No excuses.

45. Bruce Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 am

    “…. you should hit all season long. No excuses.”

    Huh?… I’m sure you didn’t meant hitters don’t have peaks and valleys (slumps) during the course of the season.

46. Joe Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 3:11 pm

    I understand everyone’s frustration. My son is one of the Phillies. While in Phoenix, I had a chance to see my son and brought up Howard and the prolonged slump. We get along great, but I could see steam coming out of his ears. He was hot at fans and the media, that people are not there to see the hours Howard puts in, and how he is just as frustrated, that pitchers are throwing some great pitches against Howard. My son is a pitcher and see’s what is going on.
    We all see the 10 million and think about the batting average. As a fan, I and most people do not see what is going on behind the scenes too.
    A friend started bringing up another player’s slump from last year. My son said most fans did not realize the player’s son was in the hospital most of the season.
    Anyway, I agree with the fans frustration, but have seen my son go thru tough times and know they are just as frustrated and trying hard to figure out the problem.

47. philip Says:
    June 28th, 2008 at 10:02 am

    Well its now June 28th and I believe howard leads the league in strikeouts. Your observation is right on the money. Speaking of which that hack howard should be made to return the 3 million he stoloe from the phillies.

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