Frank Howard: The Greatest Baseball Player You’ve Never Heard Of

Frank Howard was one of the most feared sluggers of his generation. Standing 6’7″ and weighing 270 pounds, he was a force to be reckoned with at the plate. But despite his prodigious talents, Howard remains largely unknown today. In this blog post, we’ll explore why that is and try to give this forgotten slugger the credit he deserves.

Frank Howard: The Greatest baseball player You’ve never heard Of

Frank Howard was one of the most dominant players in baseball during the 1960s and 1970s. A large man at 6’7″ and 275 pounds, he was an intimidating figure at the plate. He hit for both power and average, belting 382 home runs during his 18-year career. He also was a gifted fielder, winning three Gold Glove Awards

So why have you never heard of Frank Howard? Unfortunately, he played the majority of his career for lousy teams. The Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise was awful during most of Howard’s tenure there. He didn’t make it to the postseason until his final year in the majors, when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers

Even though he never played on a World Series winner, Howard deserves to be remembered as one of the greats of his era.

Frank Howard’s Early Life and Career

Frank Howard was born in rural Ohio in 1936, the eldest of eight children. When he was a Young Boy his father died, leaving his mother to raise the family on her own. Throughout his childhood, Howard struggled with poverty and poor health; he contracted rheumatic fever when he was just seven years old and was subsequently hospitalized for more than a year. In spite of these hardships, Howard developed a love for baseball early on in life. He spent hours throwing a ball against the side of the family barn, dreaming of one day playing in the Major Leagues

Howard’s dream came true when he was signed by the Washington Senators in 1956. He made his Major League debut with the Senators in 1960 and went on to play for them until 1966. In 1967, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers where he spent the next six seasons of his career. Throughout his time with both the Senators and the Dodgers, Howard proved himself to be an exceptional player, belting out 338 home runs and driving in 1,119 runs. However, it wasn’t until he joined the Texas Rangers in 1973 that he truly began to thrive.

In his first season with the Rangers, Howard won the American League Most Valuable Player Award after hitting a league-leading 48 home runs and driving in 140 runs. He went on to have several more successful seasons with the Rangers before retiring from baseball in 1980. After his retirement, Howard worked as a broadcaster for Rangers games and also served as a coach for the team from 1984 to 1985.

Frank Howard’s Time with the Los Angeles Dodgers

Frank Howard, nicknamed “Hondo” and “The Capital Punisher”, was an American professional baseball player Howard was a large man at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 275 pounds (125 kg), and during his Major League Baseball career as an outfielder and first baseman, he was the largest player ever to play the game

Howard spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers which acquired him in a trade with the Washington Senators during the 1958–59 offseason. That year he batted .348 with 23 homers and 63 RBIs in just 84 games for Los Angeles The following season he won the National League home run title with 44 while driving in 126 runs en route to a .296 batting average and third-place finish in NL MVP voting. For 1961 he batted .268 with 37 Home Runs as the Dodgers won their first-ever World Series title.

Frank Howard’s Time with the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers

Howard was drafted in the first round of the 1958 MLB Draft by the Washington Senators. He made his MLB debut on September 29,1965, pinch-hitting for fellow rookie Pete Richert, and singled off of Whitey Ford in his lone at-bat. Howard would appear in only four more games that season. In 22 games during the 1966 season, he batted .246 with three home runs and ten RBIs. Although he struck out a lot (28 times, which was second on the team behind only Curt Blefary), he showed power, hitting five homers in just 63 at-bats.

Frank Howard’s Post-Playing Career

After his retirement from baseball in 1975, Frank Howard became a successful businessman. He opened a sporting goods store in Bethesda, Maryland, and also became involved in real estate development. He has also been active in several charities, including the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and the United Negro College Fund. In recent years he has been inducted into both the Washington Nationals Hall of Fame and the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame

Why Frank Howard is the Greatest baseball player You’ve never heard Of

Frank Howard was one of the most dominant players in baseball during the 1960s and 1970s. A towering 6’7″ and weighing in at 275 pounds, he was one of the biggest players in the game. He hit for both power and average, belting 382 homers and batting .273 over his 18-year career. He was also a superb fielder, winning two Gold Glove Awards

So why haven’t you heard of him?

For starters, Howard played the majority of his career for losing teams. He began his career with the Washington Senators, who were notorious for their ineptitude. During Howard’s time with the Senators, they never finished higher than fourth place in their division. In 1971, the team moved to Texas and became the Rangers. The Rangers weren’t much better, never finishing higher than third place while Howard was on the team.

In addition to playing on lousy teams, Howard also didn’t have any flashy stats that would make him stand out from other Great players of his era. He never led the league in home runs or batting average He was never voted MVP of the league. In fact, he only made two All-Star teams during his entire career.

So why is Frank Howard the greatest Baseball player you’ve never heard of? Because he was simply one of the best players of his generation, even if he didn’t always get the recognition he deserved.

Frank Howard’s Legacy

Frank Howard was one of the best baseball players of his generation, yet he is largely unknown today. A giant at 6’7″ and 275 pounds, Howard was a prodigious home run hitter, belting 382 homers over the course of his 15-year career. He also had a career batting average of .273 and an on-base percentage of .353, respectable numbers for a power hitter. In addition to his offensive prowess, Howard was also a solid defender, winning two Gold Glove Awards for his play in left field

So why isn’t Howard more widely remembered? Part of the reason is that he played in an era when there were many other great sluggers, such as Hank Aaron Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle Additionally, Howard’s teams (the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Senators/Texas Rangers) were generally not very good during his tenure with them. Finally, Howard’s career was cut short by injuries; he retired at the age of 34 after appearing in just 85 games in 1974.

Despite all of these factors working against him, Frank Howard remains one of the greatest baseball players you’ve never heard of. His legacy deserves to be remembered and celebrated by fans of the game.

Frank Howard’s Place in Baseball History

In his 18-year career, Frank Howard hit 382 home runs which places him 36th on the all-time list. He is one of only four players to have hit at least 30 homers in a season with three different teams. Howard also had 1,119 RBIs and a .273 batting average which are both respectable numbers. However, what many people don’t know is that Frank Howard was one of the best all-around baseball players in the 1960s and 1970s.

Howard was 6’7″ and 275 pounds, making him one of the largest players in MLB history. His size helped him become one of the best power hitters of his era. In fact, his 52 home runs in 1968 are the most ever by a player 6’6″ or taller. Howard was also an excellent fielder. He won two Gold Glove awards and had a career .993 Fielding percentage In addition, he had a strong arm, which helped him throw out 26 base runners in 1968.

So why isn’t Frank Howard more widely known? Part of it has to do with the teams he played for. During his prime years he played for the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers both of which were among the worst teams in baseball. As a result, Howard didn’t get many chances to play in the postseason or even appear on national television.

Despite his lack of recognition, Frank Howard was one of the best baseball players of his generation. He could hit for power and average, play solid defense, and run well for a man his size. He may not be a household name today, but those who saw him play knew they were watching one of the greats.

Frank Howard’s Place in American History

Frank Howard was one of the most successful baseball players of his generation, yet he remains largely unknown today. A slugging outfielder who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers Washington Senators/Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers Howard was a two-time World Series champion, a two-time All-Star, and the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year. His 6’7″ frame and massive home runs earned him the nickname “The Capital Punisher.”

Howard’s career spanned an era of great change in American society. He made his debut in the 1960s, a time of great social upheaval, and played his last game in the early 1980s, when America was recovering from a severe recession. Throughout his career, Howard remained a consistent threat at the plate, hitting 382 home runs and amassing over 1,700 hits. He retired as one of the most prolific hitters in baseball history

In spite of his numerous accomplishments, Howard has been largely forgotten by history. Part of this is due to the fact that he played in an era when baseball was overshadowed by other sports like football and basketball. Additionally, many of his accomplishments came during years when his teams were not competitive. Nevertheless, Frank Howard’s place in American history is secure as one of the greatest baseball players of his generation.

Frank Howard: The Greatest baseball player You’ve never heard Of

Frank Howard was one of the most feared hitters in baseball during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers Washington Senators, and Texas Rangers Standing 6’7″ and weighingsurface, oil, Cinnamon 250 pounds, he was an imposing figure at the plate. In his prime, he was a two-time All-Star and led the league in home runs twice. He was also a member of the 30-30 Club (hits 30 home runs and steals 30 bases in a season).

Sadly, Howard is largely forgotten today. He retired from baseball in 1973 and died in 2008. However, those who saw him play remember him as one of the best hitters of his generation. Perhaps someday he will be remembered as one of the greatest baseball players of all time.