Ryan Howard (born November 19, 1979 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a first baseman in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. He graduated from Lafayette High School in 1998 and attended Southwest Missouri State University, which is now called Missouri State University. He bats and throws left handed.

Selected in the 5th round of the 2001 draft, Howard quickly ascended the Phillies' minor league system, earning consecutive MVP awards in the Florida State and Eastern leagues (2003-2004).

Howard appeared in 19 games with the Phillies in 2004. He posted a .282 batting average with two home runs and five RBI. Between playing for Double-A Reading, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Phillies, Howard hit 48 home runs, which was the highest total in organized baseball in 2004.

In 2005, Howard became the Phillies' everyday first baseman in early July when slugger Jim Thome was sidelined for the season with an elbow injury. Howard, who led all major league rookies with 22 home runs, also posted a .288 average and 63 RBI in just 312 at-bats and 88 games. He had 11 home runs and 27 RBI in September and October as the Phillies battled the Houston Astros for the National League wild card until getting eliminated in the last day of the season. Howard was rewarded for his effort by being named NL Rookie of the Year.

Like Thome, Howard has a penchant for hitting opposite field home runs into the left field flower bed at Citizens Bank Park. Before the 2006 season, Thome was traded by Philadelphia with cash ($22,000,000.00) to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Aaron Rowand and minor league pitching prospects Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood, thus making room for the rising slugger. In the 2006 preseason games, Howard also broke the Phillies' team preseason home run record (set by Dick Allen during 1964 spring training) with 10 home runs in 21 exhibition games.

On April 23, 2006, Howard became the first player to hit a home run onto Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park. The "Luzinskian" blast traveled 496 feet (the longest home run to date at Citizens Bank Park) and was hit off Sergio Mitre of the Florida Marlins. He also became the first player to hit a home run into the third deck of the park in right field when he connected off Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees on June 20, 2006, his first of two home runs. To honor the mammoth home run, the Phillies painted a white H on the seat where the fan that caught the ball was seated. Howard had a total of 7 RBI in the game.

Howard was named to his first All-Star game in 2006 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh as a reserve first baseman, by the player ballot. He participated in the Century 21 Home Run Derby prior to the game. Howard won the contest with a total of 23 home runs (18 in the first two rounds), defeating the Mets' third baseman David Wright in the final round. His final home run bounced off the Mastercard sign which grants 500 free flights to one lucky fan at the stadium. Howard was the second Phillie in a row to win the Derby.

--Wikipedia