Howard: 'I Think You Guys Forget What I've Done'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Ryan Howard has struggled mightily in 2014. His $25 million salary, coupled with his lack of production, has generated a ton of criticism from the media and fans in Philadelphia of the Phillies first baseman.
On Tuesday night, Howard knocked in the Phillies' only two runs of the game, including a walk-off RBI single in the 15th inning. After the 2-1 victory, the former National League MVP and World Series champion seemed upset.
"I think you guys forget what I've done," Howard told reporters. "You guys look at what's going on right now, and people forget what I've done. Ryno [Ryne Sandberg] has played the game and he knows. He knows the ups and downs of the games and he knows, hey you're going to have good days and you're going to have bad days."
Howard's slash line (average/on-base/slugging) is .217/.299/.373. His 129 strikeouts are tied for fifth most in all of baseball and his wins above replacement (WAR) is -0.8. According to The Good Phight, out of 23 qualifying first baseman the only one with numbers worse than Howard is Nick Swisher of the Cleveland Indians.
"For me, I'm just out there---I'm going to go out there and I'm going to grind it out," Howard said. "I'm gonna hit balls that are unfortunately going to go into the shift and balls that are gonna go back up the middle and guys are gonna make plays. But like I said, all you can do is try to hit it hard and hopefully hit it where they're not. Find some real estate out there and once it leaves the bat it's out of your control."
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