First baseman Ryan Howard became known as “The Big Piece” of the Philadelphia Phillies during the late 2000’s for his contributions hitting in the middle of the lineup for those power-packed teams.
2007 MLB All-Star Game
Howard stats at the break – .256/.377/.555 with 21 homers and 67 RBI
2008 MLB All-Star Game
Howard stats at the break – .234/.324/.508 with 28 homers and 84 RBI
2011 MLB All-Star Game
Howard stats at the break – .257/.353/.475 with 18 homers and 72 RBI
SUMMARY
Clearly, Howard was hurt by his low batting average totals, which also suppressed his on-base percentage figures. Were he a .280 hitter and .370 OBP guy he would have been impossible to leave off the NL All-Star team during his prime years.
MATT VEASEY 