Ryan Howard Biography

A former Rookie of the Year, MLB MVP & all-around Mr. Nice Guy, Ryan Howard is ready for a World Series title.

Ryan Howard: Growing Up
Born on November 19, 1979, in St. Louis Missouri, Ryan James Howard was raised in a family of athletes. Ryan Howard immersed himself in the world of baseball, playing in Little League and on the Lafayette High School baseball team. Despite an impressive high school baseball career, Ryan Howard couldn’t catch the eyes of major college programs. Ryan Howard would enroll in Southwest Missouri State University, where he would diligently pursued a Communication degree and a future in baseball.

Ryan Howard joined the SMSU baseball team as a walk on and was later awarded a scholarship. After successful campaigns in his freshman and sophomore years, Ryan Howard enjoyed a breakout junior year in 2001 with 19 home runs. The Philadelphia Phillies liked what they saw, selecting Ryan Howard in the fifth round of the 2001 amateur draft. 

Ryan Howard: Minor League Years
Ryan Howard was assigned to the Class A Batavia Muckdogs, where he hit 6 homers, knocked in 35 RBIs, and batted .272 in 48 games. In 2002, Ryan Howard tallied 19 home runs and 87 RBIs with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws and had made a name for himself in the Philadelphia farm system. With plenty of power at the plate, patience, and a world-class attitude, Ryan Howard quickly moved up the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system, going from the Florida State League to Double-A Reading to Triple-A Scranton.

Already a two-time MVP, Ryan Howard had nowhere to go but up. The Philadelphia Phillies called up Ryan Howard on September 1, 2004. By September 11, Ryan Howard had hit his first major-league home run. Ryan Howard played 19 games with the Philadelphia Phillies that year, batting .282, tallying two homers and five RBIs. Throughout his minor league-to-major league journey, Ryan Howard amassed an impressive 48 home runs. Fans with Philadelphia Phillies tickets would soon see much more of the same from the hard-hitting Ryan Howard. 

Ryan Howard: Rookie of the Year
At the start of the 2005 MLB season, Philadelphia Phillies tickets featured the young gunner, Ryan Howard. When slugger Jim Thome went down with a season-ending injury in early July, the Philadelphia Phillies called upon Ryan Howard to take over first-base duties. Ryan Howard did not disappoint fans with Philadelphia Phillies tickets as he exploded for 22 home runs (tops among MLB rookies), a .288 batting average, and 63 RBIs in just 312 at bats.

The Philadelphia Phillies were making a run for the World Series come September and October, and Ryan Howard responded by hitting 11 HR and knocking in 27 RBIs. While the Philadelphia Phillies fell short in the Wild Card Race, fans with Philadelphia Phillies tickets cheered as Ryan Howard was named the NL Rookie of the Year, the fourth player in Philadelphia Phillies history to win the award.

Ryan Howard: Make Room for Howard
Before the 2006 MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies traded Jim Thome to the Chicago White Sox to make room for their burgeoning young star, Ryan Howard. That season, Ryan Howard continued his torrid hitting en route to an All-Star Game selection as a back-up first baseman. Ryan Howard strutted his stuff in the MLB Home Run Derby, knocking out 23 home runs to win the contest.

At season’s end, Ryan Howard tallied a whopping 58 homers, surpassing Philadelphia Phillies great Mike Schmidt on the Phillies’ single-season home run list. While the Philadelphia Phillies just barely missed the MLB playoffs, fans with Philadelphia Phillies tickets were lucky to witness Ryan Howard’s outstanding play, which earned him 2006 NL MVP honors. Ryan Howard (.313 batting average, 58 home runs, and 149 RBIs) fell just short of the triple-crown title, but still he was the talk of the baseball world.

Ryan Howard: 2007 Campaign
Ryan Howard got off to a slow start in the 2007 MLB season but would soon return to form in June. After a hitting a 505-foot homer on June 27, Ryan Howard became the fastest player  in MLB history to hit 100 home runs, needing only 325 games. After a stint on the DL, Ryan Howard returned to action and wasted no time climbing up to second on the NL home-run leader boards. On the strength of Ryan Howard’s .268 batting average, 47 HR, and 136 RBIs, the Philadelphia Phillies captured the NL East title en route to their first playoff appearance since the 1993 World Series. While World Series tickets did not feature the Philadelphia Phillies, the Phillies still had plenty of fight going into the 2008 MLB season.

Ryan Howard: 2008 Season
Once again, Ryan Howard struggled a bit coming out of the gate but would get back to his power-slugging ways come June. At season’s end, Ryan Howard’s stats boasted 48 HR and 146 RBIs despite a .251 batting average. Providing plenty of power at the plate and leadership on the field and locker room, Ryan Howard has spearheaded the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2008 World Series run – capturing back-to-back NL East titles, defeating the Wild Card Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, and topping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

Ryan Howard: World Series Tickets!
Fans with World Series tickets can catch slugger Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. MLB World Series tickets feature an exciting Philadelphia Phillies v. Tampa Bay Rays match up that could go the distance of seven games. With an interleague history that has seen the Tampa Bay Rays win four of five series, fans with World Series tickets know that history will be thrown out the window since these are two very different teams. Order MLB World Series tickets as Ryan Howard looks to lead his Philadelphia Phillies to their first MLB World Series championship since 1980.