Former All-Star outfielder/first baseman Frank Howard died on Monday morning at the age of 87, the Texas Rangers introduced in a observation.
Howard seemed in portions of 16 big-league seasons, accumulating a occupation slash line of .273/.352/.499 (142 OPS+) with 382 house runs and 1,119 runs batted in. He led the majors in house runs in 1968, and he later completed 2d (whilst nonetheless topping the American League) in that class in the back of Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench in 1970. It used to be all over that 1968 season that he set an energetic report for probably the most house runs in every week via launching 10 over the process 20 at-bats.
“I wish I had more weeks like that, I might have made a couple of bucks in the game of baseball,” Howard told MLB.com about that stretch in 2018.
Overall, Howard’s contributions had been value an estimated 37.6 Wins Above Replacement, in step with Baseball Reference’s calculations.
The 6-foot-7 Howard, who had performed each basketball and baseball at Ohio State University, used to be additionally drafted via the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors in 1958. He selected as a substitute to pursue a qualified baseball occupation with the Dodgers. It proved to be a sensible resolution, as he gained the Rookie of the Year Award in 1960 with Los Angeles and then earned Most Valuable Player Award attention in 1962.
Howard remained with the Dodgers till the iciness of 1964, when he used to be shipped to the Washington Senators as a part of a seven-player deal. From there, Howard established himself as probably the most height sluggers within the Senators’ short-lived historical past. In seven seasons prior to the franchise relocated to grow to be the Texas Rangers, he averaged 34 house runs and 96 RBI to head with a 156 OPS+.
All 4 of Howard’s All-Star Game appearances got here as a Senator, and he completed top-10 in MVP vote casting thrice, together with two times within the height 5. Predictably, Howard made the transfer with the Senators to Texas forward of Opening Day 1972. He then homered in his first professional at-bat as a Rangers participant, thereboy recording the primary hit in Arlington Stadium historical past.
According to Howard’s SABR biography, he later said of his new fan base: “We’re aware you can’t peddle a poor product to the public. It’s nice to think that these people’s first memory of major league baseball might be my home run, but I really hope that their memory is the win.”
Howard used to be very a lot within the twilight of his occupation by the point the Senators changed into the Rangers. He used to be bought off to the Detroit Tigers in August 1972 and would seem in 99 extra video games prior to retiring. Howard changed into a trainer in a while, sooner or later serving as a supervisor with each the San Diego Padres (for 110 video games) and, a pair years later, the New York Mets (for 116 video games). He completed that side of his occupation with a 41.2% successful share.
Howard would proceed to train, spending time with the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and even the Tampa Bay Rays. He would sooner or later transfer right into a participant construction function with the Yankees as the general act of a baseball occupation that incorporated greater than 40 years as an on-field determine.
The Rangers’ press liberate famous that Howard used to be the “oldest living expansion Washington Senator at the time of his passing.”