Rice v Frank Howard
markj111
Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
From Neyer:
From the middle of The Common Man's ode to the manly awesomeness of Frank Howard (one of my favorite players who I never actually saw):
In fact, it might be helpful to think of Frank Howard as the player everyone thinks Jim Rice was. Like Rice, Howard was a defensively challenged corner outfielder. Both lasted 16 seasons, each playing from age 21 to 36, and both hit, believe it or not, 382 homers. Howard’s career OPS was .851, and Rice’s was .854. Rice had a higher batting average, more hits, and more doubles, but also had 1700 more plate appearances. While superficially similar, however, Howard’s performance actually towers over Rice when we account for the era and stadiums in which he played. While Rice spent his whole career taking aim at the Green Monster, Howard was mired hitters’ hells in Dodger Stadium and RFK Stadium for almost all his career. Howard had two full seasons in LA’s Memorial Coliseum in 1960 and 1961, and one full year at Tiger Stadium in his last season, but otherwise played in a scoring wasteland.
Their careers also differ in another essential way. While some writers have twisted themselves into knots to demonstrate that Jim Rice was The Most Feared Hitter In the American League, it’s Howard who was really frightening.
Again, while getting just four times at bat to every five that Rice got, Howard was intentionally walked 75% more often (135 to 77), including 29 times in 1970 (when he also had 103 unintentional walks and still hit 44 homers). Rice, meanwhile, was never passed more than 10 times in any season (and maxed out at 62 walks for his career high). Howard scared opposing pitchers and teammates alike, not just for the terrific distances his hits traveled but the terrible speed with which the ball came off his bat.
There are many examples of Howard's fearsomeness cited, and I encourage you to read the whole article. This particularly resonates with me because just last night I watched a special about the 1968 season, during which Howard hit 44 home runs (in what was called, even then, "The Year of the Pitcher"). Here's what Jim Kaat says about Howard: “Frank might have been the most intimidating hitter that I ever faced. Frank was 6-7, I think about 300 pounds … If there was one hitter that would strike fear into you, it would be Frank Howard.”
I don't really want to get into the Hall of Fame thing, but I wouldn't have voted for Howard or Rice. I will vote, however, for appreciating Howard as just the sort of player that Rice was: a devastating hitter for a few years who didn't do much else and whose career petered out a bit earlier than his fans would have liked.
From the middle of The Common Man's ode to the manly awesomeness of Frank Howard (one of my favorite players who I never actually saw):
In fact, it might be helpful to think of Frank Howard as the player everyone thinks Jim Rice was. Like Rice, Howard was a defensively challenged corner outfielder. Both lasted 16 seasons, each playing from age 21 to 36, and both hit, believe it or not, 382 homers. Howard’s career OPS was .851, and Rice’s was .854. Rice had a higher batting average, more hits, and more doubles, but also had 1700 more plate appearances. While superficially similar, however, Howard’s performance actually towers over Rice when we account for the era and stadiums in which he played. While Rice spent his whole career taking aim at the Green Monster, Howard was mired hitters’ hells in Dodger Stadium and RFK Stadium for almost all his career. Howard had two full seasons in LA’s Memorial Coliseum in 1960 and 1961, and one full year at Tiger Stadium in his last season, but otherwise played in a scoring wasteland.
Their careers also differ in another essential way. While some writers have twisted themselves into knots to demonstrate that Jim Rice was The Most Feared Hitter In the American League, it’s Howard who was really frightening.
Again, while getting just four times at bat to every five that Rice got, Howard was intentionally walked 75% more often (135 to 77), including 29 times in 1970 (when he also had 103 unintentional walks and still hit 44 homers). Rice, meanwhile, was never passed more than 10 times in any season (and maxed out at 62 walks for his career high). Howard scared opposing pitchers and teammates alike, not just for the terrific distances his hits traveled but the terrible speed with which the ball came off his bat.
There are many examples of Howard's fearsomeness cited, and I encourage you to read the whole article. This particularly resonates with me because just last night I watched a special about the 1968 season, during which Howard hit 44 home runs (in what was called, even then, "The Year of the Pitcher"). Here's what Jim Kaat says about Howard: “Frank might have been the most intimidating hitter that I ever faced. Frank was 6-7, I think about 300 pounds … If there was one hitter that would strike fear into you, it would be Frank Howard.”
I don't really want to get into the Hall of Fame thing, but I wouldn't have voted for Howard or Rice. I will vote, however, for appreciating Howard as just the sort of player that Rice was: a devastating hitter for a few years who didn't do much else and whose career petered out a bit earlier than his fans would have liked.
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Comments
There were plenty of hitters in Rice's era who were better, and more feared(in all ways to determine what is most feared). There is no credible evidence to suggest Rice was the most feared. There is extremely strong evidence to show that the likes of Schmidt, Brett, Murray, Reggie, etc... were more feared, and certainly better.
The pitchers spoke with their actions (intentional walks, and walks in general), and with their words (via a poll on the exact question of most feared). Neither has Rice anywhere near the top of the list of being the most feared.
Rice's short career enabled him to keep his percentages high, and that fools people sometimes. Fenway fools people all the time. His RBI total fools everyone all the time (they don't recognize the number of baserunners he had the advantage to drive in)
When those are taken into account, Rice isn't any better than many guys NOT in the Hall of Fame. IN fact, he has two outfield teammates from the same era who were better than him...and neither one even got a sniff at the HOF. Rice was a lucky man to be singled out for enshrinement, when more deserving players from his own era were COMPLETELY ignored. And that is the problem with the HOF.
<< <i>Sorry guys, but Groundhog's Day was yesterday. >>
I've been on this board for several years, but do not recall a comparison of Rice v Howard. Do you know when it was? I did a word search, but could not find it. Thanks
<< <i>Nothing specific on Rice vs. Howard, perhaps, but there have been probably about a hundred other threads that compared someone else (favorably) to Rice. Try Rice vs. Murray just for a taste. >>
I never did get the Rice-love. At the risk of sounding like an "East Coast bias" whiner, if you move him to any number of teams west of Pennsylvania for his career, he's "just a good player".
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<< <i>I never did get the Rice-love. At the risk of sounding like an "East Coast bias" whiner, if you move him to any number of teams west of Pennsylvania for his career, he's "just a good player". >>
Fair enough.
And, markj111, I didn't mean to sound snippy in my first post. It's just that the topic of Rice being overrated has been beaten to death on this board for years.
<< <i>
<< <i>I never did get the Rice-love. At the risk of sounding like an "East Coast bias" whiner, if you move him to any number of teams west of Pennsylvania for his career, he's "just a good player". >>
Fair enough.
And, markj111, I didn't mean to sound snippy in my first post. It's just that the topic of Rice being overrated has been beaten to death on this board for years. >>
After I read your post, it occured to me that most people would think of Ryan Howard. I changed the title to eliminate that confusion.