Ryan Howard is a former professional first baseman. Howard finished his collegiate career with 50 home runs, 183 runs batted in (RBIs), and a .335 career batting average in 172 games played. He was the 1999 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year.
Howard spent his entire MLB career playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, from 2004 to 2016. He is known for being the first, fastest player in baseball history to reach 100 home runs, and 200 home runs. As of 2021, Howard holds numerous Phillies franchise records. Howard made his MLB debut in 2004. He won NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 and the NL MVP in 2006. Howard was a three-time NL All-Star, and won the Silver Slugger Award, Hank Aaron Award, and the NL Championship Series MVP Award in 2009. Known for his power, Howard is a member of the 50 home run club. He was a two-time NL home run champion. As of 2021, he is tied with Sammy Sosa for the most NL 140 RBI seasons at 3 and the most NL 130 RBI seasons at 4. However, Howard is MLB's (ignominious) all-time record-holder for most lifetime Golden Sombrero awards.
Missouri State retired Howard's number on December 18, 2010. In February 2019, Howard joined ESPN as an analyst for Baseball Tonight.