WHY I THINK FRANK HOWARD SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK FRANK HOWARD SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Frank Howard was among the greatest sluggers of his era, which was an era that included Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Harmon Killebrew and Hank Aaron. He retired with the most career home runs as a member of any Washington, D.C. team in baseball history, and additionally hit 40 or more home runs three years in a row and had ten seasons with over 20 home runs. Frank Howard started his career with the Dodgers by batting a mediocre .241 in eight games in 1958 but got two hits, including a home run, on his MLB debut. He batted .143 in nine games in 1959 but won the 1960 NL Rookie of the Year Award for his .268 batting average and 23 home runs. Howard batted .296 with 15 home runs in only 92 games in 1961, the season dominated by the great home run race in the AL. He returned in 1962 to bat .296 again with 31 home runs and 119 RBI’s and hit .273 with 28 home runs in 123 games in 1963, when his Dodgers won their second straight pennant and the World Series. Howard fell really badly to .226 and 24 homers in 1964, which is not at all Hall of Fame worthy, and was traded to the replacement Washington Senators, but regrouped with his new team in 1965 to bat .289 with 21 homers. He batted .278 with 18 home runs in 1966 and doubled his homer output to 36 in 1967. In 1968, the “Year of the Pitcher” where the AL batted .237 as a whole, Howard batted .274 and led the AL with 44 homers, 330 total bases, and a .552 slugging percentage. Howard came back in the summer of 1969 to bat .296 with 48 homers and 111 RBI’s and set the Senators’ record for hits in a season (175). He batted .283 in 1970 and led the AL in homers, RBI’s, and walks before falling to .279 and 26 homers in 1971. Howard’s 1972 season saw him swat ten longballs in 109 games between the Rangers, who had just changed their name, and the Tigers. He batted .256 with a dozen longballs in roughly half a season in 1973 with Detroit and retired. Frank Howard was a great slugger who could hit high enough for a .273 lifetime average and was graceful enough in the field to capture a fielding title in 1967. He deserves a high spot in Cooperstown. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,895 season high: 161 in 1969 and 1970 

At Bats career: 6,488 season high: 598 in 1968 

Hits career: 1,774 season high: 175 in 1969 

Doubles career: 245 season high: 28 in 1968 

Triples career: 35 season high: 6 in 1962 and 1965 

Home Runs career: 382 season high: 48 in 1969 led AL: 44 in 1968 and 1970 

Runs career: 864 season high: 111 in 1969
Runs Batted In career: 1,119 season high: 126 in 1970 led AL: 126 in 1970 

Stolen Bases career: 8 season high: 1 in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972 

Walks career: 782 season high: 132 in 1970 led AL: 132 in 1970 

Strikeouts career: 1,460 season high: 155 in 1967 led AL: 155 in 1967 

Batting Average career: .273 season high: .296 in 1962 and 1969 

On Base Percentage career: .352 season high: .416 in 1970 

Slugging Percentage career: .499 season high: .574 in 1969 led AL: .552 in 1968 

Total Bases career: 3,235 season high: 340 in 1969 led AL: 330 in 1968, 340 in 1969 

Sacrifice Hits career: 7 season high: 2 in 1960 and 1963 

Fielding Percentage career: .978 season high: .993 in 1971 led AL LF: .986 in 1967 

Double Plays career: 213 season high: 44 in 1972 led AL LF: 4 in 1970 

Putouts career: 4,412 season high: 521 in 1972 

Assists career: 277 season high: 65 in 1971 

DID YOU KNOW?

-nicknamed “Hondo”, “The Washington Monument”, and “The Capital Punisher” 

-drove in two runs on his MLB debut 

-was a four time all-star and homered in the 1969 all-star game

-led the AL in extra-base hits and home run percentage in 1968 

-once hit a legitimate bunt triple

-led AL leftfielders in games (138) in 1965 

-led the AL in intentional walks in 1970 (29) and 1971 (20) 

-was the July 1962 NL Player of the month with a dozen homers and 41 RBI’s 

-finished fourth in the AL MVP voting in 1969, fifth in 1970, eighth in 1968 and 29th in 1965 

-finished ninth in the NL MVP voting in 1962 

-batted .300 with a double and a home run in the 1963 World Series 

-hit 15 home runs off of eight different Hall of Fame pitchers 

-homered in six straight games from May 12-18, 1968, finishing the week with a record ten homers in only 20 at bats 

-also played 334 games at first base, 165 as a pinch hitter and, 76 as a DH 

-went 93-133 (.412) as a manager 

-coached seven MLB clubs from 1977 through 1999