By Jordan Long
Earlier this week, the Atlanta Braves made the tough decision to terminate 1st baseman Ryan Howard’s minor league contract. Howard agreed to a minor league deal with the Braves on April 6th. They were hoping he would be called up from Triple A Gwinnett to help this team on the bench and serve as the designated hitter in interleague games. Howard lasted 11 games. In those games he had 38 at bats and hit a disappointing .184. It was time to part ways.
Howard needs to walk away from the game of baseball. He has played 13 years at the Major League Baseball level for one team, the Philadelphia Phillies. In that time Howard hit .258 with 382 home runs and 1,194 RBI’s. He established himself as one of the best hitters in his time. Pitchers couldn’t pitch to him late in games because one mistake and it was a home run that won the game for Philadelphia.
Howard was hoping for one last shot at playing big league baseball when he agreed to sign with Atlanta. Now that the experiment is over, leaving the game of baseball is the smart decision. There is nothing else for him to prove. He appeared in two World Series with the Phillies. His only World Series ring came in 2008 when Philadelphia knocked off the Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 1. Howard was selected to 3 All- Star games. Howard even took home the Silver Slugger Award in 2006 as the best offensive 1st baseman in the National League.
Howard must make the difficult decision and retire from the game of baseball. He can’t play it a high level anymore. Howard may not make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame but will go down as one of the top 1st basemen to ever play for the Phillies.
Do you think it is time for Ryan Howard to leave the game of baseball? How will you remember his playing days?
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