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Once the crowned king of the National League, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard now finds himself searching for answers.
Howard sat on the bench for the second time in six games Wednesday night, a move that manager Ryne Sandberg suggested may be a regular thing.
“As far as the lineup, that will be a day-to-day thing,” Sandberg said to CSN Philly. “It's about wins and losses out here. When the game starts, it's about winning the game and being productive and chipping in and doing the part and doing something to help win a game. If that means playing somebody else there and there's production right away -- that's trying to win a baseball game.”
Darin Ruf, recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday, was given the nod at first. The 27-year-old is a bit on an unknown entity, especially compared to the 10-year veteran Howard.
“I’m interested to see what he can do,” Sandberg said. “I know what [Howard] can do. I've seen him for 100 games. I know what he can do. I think it's important to see what a guy like Darin Ruf can do also going forward.”
Howard, for his part, is hitting .224/.305/.377 this season, and has been even worse over his last 25 games. He's also signed for two more years, leading to some discussion of whether his days with the Phillies are numbered.
Multiple teams have reportedly inquired about Howard's services, according to CSN Philly. The Phillies have also discussed releasing him, paying him out, and walking away. The hefty price tag - $60-million over the next two seasons - associated with the two-time NL home run king may scare teams off in trade talks.
To Howard's credit, the 2006 NL MVP and three-time RBI leader isn't to start feeling sorry for himself.
I’m not thinking about that. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Me personally, I think the easiest thing to do when times get hard or don’t go your way is quit. I think it really shows the kind of character you have -- and again, I’m not talking about anybody in this clubhouse, I’m just talking in general -- but when times get hard, the easiest thing to do is quit or try to give up or whatever. For me personally, you work through it. It’s a character building kind of thing and you try to work through it. And I think once you do work through it you become that much stronger.
More than concerns about job safety, Howard is thinking mainly about perspective.
This is baseball. I know some people might misconstrue this comment, but baseball is a game. Yeah, I get paid a lot of money to play it, but it's a game. You go out and see little kids doing it, because it's a game. You have to keep things in perspective.
While both sides are adamant that things can work out, Sandberg remains curious about other fits at the position.
I think it's also important to see and gauge other players to see where they're at. While he isn't explicitly saying it, the idea of looking for help while having Howard on the books for two more seasons suggests the two sides may not be long for each other.
