Major League Baseball

Is Howard future Hall of Famer?

Published Jun. 12, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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Ryan Howard entered the majors with a bang, winning a Rookie of the Year and an MVP in his first two seasons.

As a 25-year-old, the Phillies first baseman hit .288 with 22 homers and 63 RBI in just 88 games in 2005, good enough to be voted the National League's top rookie.

The next season, the left-handed hitting slugger played 159 games and won the NL MVP after leading the majors with 58 homers and 149 RBI, while batting .313 — which was ninth in the NL (if you were wondering about his Triple Crown chances). The batting average was the only year he finished above .300.

Howard, from Lafayette, Mo., continued to display his power into his late 20s, finishing in the top five of the next three NL MVP votes.

He placed fifth in 2007 with 47 homers and 136 RBI, was the runner-up to Albert Pujols in '08 with 48 HRs and 146 RBI, both tops in the majors, and was third in '09 after a 45-homer, 141-RBI campaign.

Now, at the age of 33 and in his 10th major league campaign, Howard owns 307 homers, 950 RBI and a .270 batting average through June 10.

He's a three-time All-Star, helped the Phillies win the World Series in 2008 and was voted the '09 NLCS MVP before Philadelphia lost to the New York Yankees 4-2 in that season's Fall Classic.

In two World Series — and 11 games — Howard batted .227, but hit four homers and totaled nine RBI. When Philly beat Tampa Bay in five games in 2008, he hit .286 with three homers and six RBI. His career numbers in 46 postseason games are .259, with eight bombs and 33 runs knocked in.

Among active players, he ranks first in at-bats per homer, going yard every 13.9 at-bats. He also ranks seventh in slugging percentage (.545), 15th in homers, 20th in RBI and sixth in intentional walks (143).

By the time his career is finished, expect those rankings to be higher and threatening some of the all-time career lists.

Will they be good enough for the Hall of Fame? Watch above video to hear his case. 

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