Why Ryan Howard shouldn't be considered an elite player in the MLB

OldAdmin

Bench Warmer
So I was reading an article today on ESPN. Today Howard tied the strikeout record. How can a guy who is often included in great players be poised to set the Strike out record.
 
he's not considered great along the lines of say ripken, gwynn,a-rod,etc. and i'm a phillies fan! he's sir whiffalot
 
Look at the top strikeout leader of all time....a real no name....Reggie Jackson.....then #2 some guy named Sosa..... then you have Schmidt, Stargell and Thome in the top 10......

Howard may strike out but he sure can hit it a long, long way......
 
Howard may strike out but he sure can hit it a long, long way......

Does it really matter how far you can hit it though, if it is out, it is out. You don't get bonus points for longer home runs.
 
Ill disagree. Not all hitters hit for Avg, not all hit for power. Howard does not hit for contact. He goes for Doubles and HRs. hes an elite player of the players playing now, although he isnt even in the top 3 of 1B in the NL.
 
Albert Pujols is the BEST 1st Baseman b/c he is good at defense and hits for contact and power with great average and low Strike outs.howard isnt all hes said to be
 
cardsfan06 said:
Albert Pujols is the BEST 1st Baseman b/c he is good at defense and hits for contact and power with great average and low Strike outs.howard isnt all hes said to be
your last statment isn't true, no ones said he hits for average they've said he's a great power hitter and an all star/mvp. thats what he is. I'm not a phillies fan but I can't think of anyone saying hes a good average hitter. He does what he needs to hit the long bomb and drive in runs.
 
No need to get angry over it. Debate over baseball players is what makes it fun. Here is the thing I see with Howard. The guy has good power. But couldn't he work a little on swinging at the correct pitches to reduce the amount of strikeouts. That would make him that much better. As a pitcher it would be much harder to go up to the plate and know the guy won't swing at everything and to get him out you are going to have to throw a couple over the plate.
 
Admin said:
No need to get angry over it. Debate over baseball players is what makes it fun. Here is the thing I see with Howard. The guy has good power. But couldn't he work a little on swinging at the correct pitches to reduce the amount of strikeouts. That would make him that much better. As a pitcher it would be much harder to go up to the plate and know the guy won't swing at everything and to get him out you are going to have to throw a couple over the plate.

thats what makes Bonds the great hitter that he is. If you can be selective and hit the good pitches and lay off the bad ones, you are fine. But it isnt that easy since you have a split second. Thats why Bobby Abreu, Giambi, and others in their prime were amazing since they would still take their walks.
 
on the other hand, reggie jackson struck out 2597 times and sammy sosa struck out 2194 times, are these guys not among the greats?
 
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