Ryan Howard (1B), PHI - Injury
April 19, 2007
News: Howard was limping and in apparent pain at the conclusion of a 5-4 loss in 13 innings. Howard stood, then dragged his 250 pounds to the small medical area outside the clubhouse. That's where athletic trainer Scott Sheridan placed a wrap on Howard's left leg -- around his knee -- as Howard lay back staring at the ceiling.
Asked if he was concerned, Manuel nodded yes.
Howard didn't speak to reporters about his condition, and he will likely have an MRI performed before Thursday's game.
Views: I think every Howard owner now is holding their breath. Hope for a clean MRI. At the very least, I'd expect him to be sitting today.
Fantasy Baseball 
Yeah no sh!t!!! I already have Carpenter, Escobar, & BJ Ryan on the DL....now Myers has been demoted & Felix got hurt
By: Bill Frikken
News: Howard was limping and in apparent pain at the conclusion of a 5-4 loss in 13 innings. Howard stood, then dragged his 250 pounds to the small medical area outside the clubhouse. That's where athletic trainer Scott Sheridan placed a wrap on Howard's left leg -- around his knee -- as Howard lay back staring at the ceiling.
Asked if he was concerned, Manuel nodded yes.
Howard didn't speak to reporters about his condition, and he will likely have an MRI performed before Thursday's game.
Views: I think every Howard owner now is holding their breath. Hope for a clean MRI. At the very least, I'd expect him to be sitting today.
Just a side note. Howard hurt himself running to first. He tried to stretch out and landed on first in a strange manner. Nothing looked horrible about the way he landed, but the real issue is the fact that he is easily over 250. I would seriously put him at about 280+ this year. You really can't tell he has put on that much until you see him trying to truck around the bases when his boobs and gut bounce around like Jello on a Bill Cosby commercial. He has put on significant weight in the off season and if he is hurt, hopefully he learns his lesson. You can't come into the season as over weight as he is. Jenny Craig.
GM Pat Gillick said X-rays done Wednesday showed nothing was torn and that Howard wouldn't need an MRI. Greg Dobbs is starting in his place today.
ditto
Overrated?!? Please share whatever you're smoking. I like how people come out with the obvious opinions after watching how pitchers are approaching Howard after what he did last season. LOL....overrated?!? Puh-lease!
Overrated?!? Please share whatever you're smoking. I like how people come out with the obvious opinions after watching how pitchers are approaching Howard after what he did last season. LOL....overrated?!? Puh-lease!
I also like how people make judments/assessments after 2 weeks of the season have been played---- if howard is seriously hurt then that is just a case of terribly bad luck (I feel the pain, as an owner of SORIANO he is killing me as well)
it is FRIGGIN FREEZING, and as the temperature rises so will the batting averages on a lot of these guys who are struggling--- if howard stays healthy for an entire season he will be a wrecking ball
anyway, let's hold our judgments until at least a full month or so has been played people
PAUL KONERKO is still hitting like .188 I think YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!
If people let it be.
I wouldnt draft howard at 4 but I wouldnt draft wright at 10 so dont compare the 2
FIC Spin: The swing’s still long (184 K in 584 AB last year), and I just can’t see Howard having a .455 BIPA again. Toss in that managers were deathly afraid to pitch to him towards the end of the season, and his numbers should revert to the norm a bit across the board simply because he’ll have less opportunities. He’s still a monster, though he’s not likely to be worth the top five (or even first-round) pick that will be required to nab him.
Our projections: 161 G, 536 AB, .292 Avg., 157 H, 24 2b, 45 HR, 101 R, 128 RBI, .432 OBP, .591 Slg, 1.022 OPS
With all the Howard and overrated talk, I'd like to point out that the #6 up at the top was his place in our first base rankings, not our overall rankings. Simply by seeing the .432 OBP as compared to the .292 Avg, you can probably assume that we had him down for a lot of walks.... 135 to be precise. This was from the draft kit that we ran prior to the season.
The 128 RBI are going to be a bit of a stretch, though he's going to be a 110 RBI/100 R guy in all likelihood. The first round is a stretch as well, in my opinion, though I knew he would be going there.
In short, I'll join darko and say that Howard is significantly overrated in fantasy circles.... and I'll back it up with things I was saying in the preseason.
He's a very good (possibly even great) player, but his value doesn't carry as well into fantasyland because of all those walks. He was given the Barry Bonds treatment last season, and it's no surprise that he's getting it again this year.
He's a very good (possibly even great) player, but his value doesn't carry as well into fantasyland because of all those walks. He was given the Barry Bonds treatment last season, and it's no surprise that he's getting it again this year.
But walks help with OPS. I honestly think that if he can strike out less and maintain a better K/BB ratio, like say Berkman, then he could be the #2 1B behind Mr. Albert Pujols. However, I still think Pujols is the better choice because he has learned to make contact and strike out less over the course of the past 6 or so years and he has started to get more walks.
It's too early to say that Howard is bad (because he's not) but I'm not expecting a season like last years. I would probably agree with Jim's predictions.
Btw, where can I find the the rankings before the season started?
He's a very good (possibly even great) player, but his value doesn't carry as well into fantasyland because of all those walks. He was given the Barry Bonds treatment last season, and it's no surprise that he's getting it again this year.
But walks help with OPS. I honestly think that if he can strike out less and maintain a better K/BB ratio, like say Berkman, then he could be the #2 1B behind Mr. Albert Pujols. However, I still think Pujols is the better choice because he has learned to make contact and strike out less over the course of the past 6 or so years and he has started to get more walks.
It's too early to say that Howard is bad (because he's not) but I'm not expecting a season like last years. I would probably agree with Jim's predictions.
Btw, where can I find the the rankings before the season started?
Hey... I'm in agreement if your league uses OPS as a category. If it doesn't, his fantasy value takes a hit because of all the walks. Personally, I play in a handful of OPS and OBP leagues, which make him considerably more valuable. I still wouldn't take Howard in the first round in a lot of them (in some, I would, because most of the leagues that I play in have between 14 and 20 teams).
The fact remains that because Howard walks so often, it hinders his fantasy value. If he were a base-stealer or something, his getting on base would do wonders for his value. As it stands, the main thing that it does is take away RBI opportunities.