This year's MVP went to a very special person

By Bill McFarland

On the day that the National League announced its Most Valuable Player for the 2006 season, Ryan Howard was himself. From the first time I met and interviewed him, when he was a September call-up in 2004, his personality has never changed.

On that date, I spoke with him about his first trip to the plate in the major leagues. Ryan was called up on Sept. 1 and appeared as a pinch-hitter during that night's game. With a 3-2 count, Jaret Wright, who was pitching for the Atlanta Braves at the time, fired a fastball at Howard's knees. Just as Ryan was jumping out of the way of the pitch, it curled in and caught the inside corner of the plate. Howard was ingloriously rung up during his first big-league at bat.

Obviously, he has come miles since then, but after accepting congratulations from all on the MVP award, Ryan still shrugs his shoulders and seems to wonder what all the fuss is about. The humility seems to come from a well-grounded family. His father spoke about how nobody in the family ever really focused on winning awards.

"Ryan just wants to do the best that he can," said Ron Howard, who also spoke about Ryan's love of the game. "He loves baseball, and baseball loves him back."

It's hard not to like Ryan Howard — personally or because of his ability to crush baseballs. Howard hit .282 with two homers in 19 games that first September. In 2005, he didn't hit during a two-week call-up in May when first baseman Jim Thome was injured. But Ryan was taking it all in and constantly learning to make the adjustments necessary to hit at this level.

When Thome went down for the season in July 2005, the Phillies needed Howard whether he was ready or not, and all he did was smack 22 homers, drive in 63 runs and hit for a .288 average in just half of a season to win the National League's Rookie of the Year award.

Nobody could have predicted this season. His home run (58) and RBI (149) totals might have been higher, but nobody would pitch to him during the last few weeks of the season. That's pretty remarkable for a second-year player. Through it all, though, Ryan was still Ryan.

"I just prepared myself the best that I could and went out there to have fun," Howard said for the umpteenth time at the news conference, during which a television reporter asked if he had a chance to look back on 2006.

"I did have a chance to reflect on the season," he replied, "and the one thing that stood out in my mind was, 'Is this really happening? Did I really hit fifty-eight home runs?' It's really been a fun ride."

And it's one that we all hope is far from finished. I have cautioned before that all players have a career year, and Ryan may have just had his. It would be unfair to expect 50 homers from him every year, but he is one player who may have the ability to put up such numbers on a consistent basis.

"One thing that's different about Ryan is, he's a hitter," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "Sure, he's big, but he's not trying to muscle the ball (out of the park). He has balance and rhythm, and that's what has helped him become such a good hitter."

Howard's .313 batting average, in my opinion, is his best achievement. Power hitters strike out a lot. (Ryan had 181 whiffs in 2006.) They are also walked a lot. (Ryan had 108 bases on balls.) Of Howard's 581 at-bats in 2006, 181 were strikeouts — nearly one-third — and he still hit .313.

On the field, Ryan demonstrates patience and professionalism. Off the field, one couldn't imagine a nicer man. He respects everyone and doesn't let himself get embroiled in controversy.

On the same day the MVP award was announced, the Phillies also learned that Alfonso Soriano was going to the Chicago Cubs. This team must find another big bat to protect Ryan so pitchers and managers aren't so eager to pitch around him. When asked about that, Ryan just shrugged — again.

"I don't care," he responded to a question about who he'd like to see hit behind him. "It doesn't matter to me."

It matters to us. Ryan Howard just turned 27. Barring a serious injury, he has a long career ahead of him. And as long as he's blasting baseballs into orbit, we want to see him swinging his bat at Citizens Bank Park.

This column was published on Nov. 29, 2006, in the Northeast Times in Philadelphia, which owns the copyright. It may not be reproduced anywhere else without permission.

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