After hitting four homers and collecting eight RBIs in the MLB All-Stars' five-game sweep in Japan, Ryan Howard was named MVP of the series.No surprise there.
But Howard, who hit 58 homers for the Phillies this past season, may also be named National League MVP. That award, expected to be a two-man race between Howard and Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols, will be announced Nov. 20.
"Had to go there, didn't you?" Howard joked with reporters in Japan who asked if another MVP award was in his future.
But seriously ...
Regardless of whether he's deemed the best player in the NL in 2006, he was the best player on the MLB team that traveled to the Far East. Howard batted .558 with eight runs, three doubles, four home runs and eight RBIs, including a 2-for-4 performance in a Game 5 won by Mets SS Jose Reyes' walk-off homer.
"Baseball transcends just where we are, it's global," Howard told MLB.com. "For people to cheering for Jose and anybody and everybody on the team is a good feeling."
5 comments:
Good bullpen piece. The more I read about it, the more i think the pen is just as a glaring need as protection for Howard. Someone like Weathers has a big upside due to his strong numbers of last year, but why would Cincy (who by the way have Ryan Franklin and Cormier) want to let him go?
But here we go - Manuel tells us that his pen wasn't as fresh as needed down the stretch, and the ages of those we're looking at are 33-Speir, 35-Borowski/Batista, and 37-Weathers.
What direction is he heading
And Sheffield? No thank you....
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2654620
Paul,
As always, thanks for the note.
The bullpen is a HUGE weakness. In the final weeks of the season, I felt like, if the Phillies made the playoffs, the bullpen would be the biggest reason they'd be early-round losers.
Don't fret about the age of the relievers. It's the mileage on their arms. Arthur Rhodes had shown signs of wear before the Phillies traded for him. I'm not sure you've seen that from some of these other pitchers.
Regarding Sheffield, I just filed a story that will run in Friday's paper (hopefully). I won't spoil the surprise, but he could be an option if the Phils can't get Soriano. And, if you ask me, he's not a bad option. He'll be happy hitting in Citizens Bank Park, and in a lineup that features Howard, Utley, Rollins, Victorino, etc., he'll have an opportunity to drive in and score tons of runs.
Stay tuned.
Oh, and the other thing about Sheffield: He'll cost less money and require a shorter-term contract than Soriano. For a guy who averaged 35 homers and 110 RBIs from 1999-2005, I would at least make an attempt to get him.
Looks like you got your wish, Paul. The only time Sheffield will be coming to Philadelphia is when the Tigers visit next season.
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