11-20-2006, 02:26 PM
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| Senior Monk
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Rep Power: 0  | Howard wins NL MVP Award
Quote:
Ryan Howard won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. He topped that in his second season by winning the MVP award.
Ryan Howard had a magical season for the Phillies and was rewarded Monday with his first NL MVP Award. Howard is the fourth Phillies player to win the award and first since Mike Schmidt in 1986.
Phillies MVPs, All-time
Ryan Howard 2006
Mike Schmidt 1980, '81, '86
Jim Konstanty 1950
Chuck Klein 1932
After being named the top rookie in 2005, Howard elevated his performance to a new level in 2006. He had a .313 batting average, led the major leagues with 58 homers and 149 RBI, earned his first All-Star berth and also captured the Home Run Derby championship over All-Star weekend.
Howard edged the Cardinals' Albert Pujols for the award. Pujols can't complain too much as he won the big team prize, helping St. Louis capture the World Series championship.
Howard received 20 first-place votes, while Pujols received 12. Howard's 388 total points were 41 more than Pujols (347). Lance Berkman (230) finished third.
Howard did everything in his power to carry the Philadelphia Phillies to the postseason, but that run came up short in the final weekend of the season.
Howard hit at a blistering .355 clip in the second half. He slugged 30 homers in only 75 games after the All-Star break, highlighted by a 14-homer month of August when the Phillies won 18 games to climb back into the race.
The offensive force behind the world champion St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols hit .331 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI this season. He missed three weeks in June with a strained oblique muscle but still put himself in a strong position to capture his second straight MVP award.
Pujols edged Atlanta Braves slugger Andruw Jones last season, his fifth top-five finish in as many years as a major leaguer. He came in fourth as a rookie in 2001 and was the runner-up the next two seasons before coming in third in 2004. All of his second- through four-place finishes were to San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds.
Pujols smacked 29 of his home runs in the first half before "dropping off" to 20 blasts after the break. His average was rather consistent as he batted at least .315 in April, July, August and September.
| Well deserved here, Howard probally had a season like we were used to seeing when Sammy Sosa and Mark Maguire were hitting home runs and having huge seasons. He and Alber will prob replace the two and have huge seasons year in and year out. But beside the point he had a awsome season and deserved the reward.
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