Frank Howard, baseball player, 382 home runs, 1958-1973

Frank Howard

Born: 8/8/1936 in Columbus, OH, USA

Died: 10/30/2023 in Aldie, VA, USA

MLB Debut: 1958-09-10 | Final Game: 1973-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'7" | Weight: 255 lbs

Full name: Frank Oliver Howard

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Biography

Frank Howard, born in 1936, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1958 to 1973. Renowned for his imposing stature and powerful hitting, Howard played in a total of 1,895 games and recorded 1,774 hits, 382 home runs, and 1,119 RBIs, culminating in a career batting average of .273. His significant contributions to the game were recognized early on when he earned the Rookie of the Year award, as well as the TSN Rookie of the Year honors, establishing him as a force to be reckoned with in the league. Throughout his career, Howard was selected as an All-Star four times, showcasing his consistency and impact during the 1960s and early 1970s, a period marked by a competitive offensive landscape. Known for his power-hitting ability, he was a key player for teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Senators, where he became a fan favorite. In addition to his offensive prowess, Howard recorded 8 stolen bases, highlighting a level of athleticism that complemented his offensive skill set. His legacy endures as one of the significant power hitters of his era, making him a memorable figure in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1895 6488 864 1774 245 35 382 1119 8 782 1460 0.273 0.352 0.499 0.851 30023.9

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Career OBP .352 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.

Career SLG .499 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +33.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.851 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — +23.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1958 LAD NL 8 29 3 7 1 0 1 2 0 1 11 0.241 — — — — 0.0
1959 LAD NL 9 21 2 3 0 1 1 6 0 2 9 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1960 LAD NL 117 448 54 120 15 2 23 77 0 32 108 0.268 .255 (+5%) .323 (-1%) .387 (+20%) .711 (+10%) 777.4
1961 LAD NL 92 267 36 79 10 2 15 45 0 21 50 0.296 .258 (+15%) .328 (+6%) .399 (+29%) .727 (+19%) 872.3
1962 LAD NL 141 493 80 146 25 6 31 119 1 39 108 0.296 .257 (+15%) .326 (+6%) .393 (+42%) .719 (+26%) 2323.9
1963 LAD NL 123 417 58 114 16 1 28 64 1 33 116 0.273 .246 (+11%) .308 (+7%) .371 (+39%) .680 (+25%) 1793.0
1964 LAD NL 134 433 60 98 13 2 24 69 1 51 113 0.226 .250 (-10%) .312 (-3%) .377 (+14%) .690 (+6%) 459.0
1965 WS2 AL 149 516 53 149 22 6 21 84 0 55 112 0.289 .245 (+18%) .310 (+15%) .371 (+28%) .682 (+22%) 2229.6
1966 WS2 AL 146 493 52 137 19 4 18 71 1 53 104 0.278 .248 (+12%) .309 (+12%) .376 (+17%) .685 (+15%) 1504.3
1967 WS2 AL 149 519 71 133 20 2 36 89 0 60 155 0.256 .242 (+6%) .306 (+10%) .357 (+43%) .663 (+28%) 2704.8
1968 WS2 AL 158 598 79 164 28 3 44 106 0 54 141 0.274 .236 (+16%) .298 (+13%) .340 (+62%) .638 (+39%) 4084.4
1969 WS2 AL 161 592 111 175 17 2 48 111 1 102 96 0.296 .248 (+19%) .320 (+26%) .369 (+56%) .689 (+42%) 5140.4
1970 WS2 AL 161 566 90 160 15 1 44 126 1 132 125 0.283 .253 (+11%) .325 (+28%) .385 (+42%) .711 (+35%) 4623.1
1971 WS2 AL 153 549 60 153 25 2 26 83 1 77 121 0.279 .249 (+12%) .316 (+16%) .365 (+30%) .682 (+23%) 2573.1
1972 TEX AL 95 287 28 70 9 0 9 31 1 42 55 0.244 .243 (avg) .310 (+10%) .353 (+4%) .664 (+7%) 470.6
1972 DET AL 14 33 1 8 1 0 1 7 0 4 8 0.242 — — — — 470.6
1973 DET AL 85 227 26 58 9 1 12 29 0 24 28 0.256 .256 (-1%) .325 (avg) .378 (+22%) .703 (+12%) 468.2

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 10 2 3 1 0 1 1 0 2 0.300

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1963 WS LAN 3 10 2 3 1 0 1 1 0 2 0.300

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 334 261 2298 195 47 201
OF 1435 1409 2114 82 57 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1958 LAN OF 8 8 12 1 0 0
1959 LAN OF 6 5 10 0 0 0
1960 LAN 1B 4 1 19 3 1 2
1960 LAN OF 115 112 177 8 3 1
1961 LAN 1B 7 5 43 4 2 2
1961 LAN OF 65 61 79 6 6 0
1962 LAN OF 131 127 187 19 6 4
1963 LAN OF 111 107 190 4 8 0
1964 LAN OF 122 121 183 2 4 0
1965 WS2 OF 138 138 204 5 4 0
1966 WS2 OF 135 134 216 5 4 1
1967 WS2 1B 4 2 15 1 0 0
1967 WS2 OF 141 140 210 5 3 1
1968 WS2 1B 55 51 416 41 11 38
1968 WS2 OF 107 105 160 11 8 1
1969 WS2 1B 70 47 455 31 10 38
1969 WS2 OF 114 112 147 3 4 0
1970 WS2 1B 48 42 429 25 6 37
1970 WS2 OF 120 118 172 6 5 4
1971 WS2 1B 68 48 414 58 4 40
1971 WS2 OF 100 100 141 7 1 0
1972 TEX 1B 66 55 440 27 9 39
1972 TEX OF 21 21 25 0 1 0
1972 DET 1B 10 9 55 5 3 5
1972 DET OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1973 DET 1B 2 1 12 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 334
Left Field 923
Right Field 533
Designated Hitter 76

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1970 TSN All-Star OF
1969 TSN All-Star OF
1968 TSN All-Star OF
1960 Rookie of the Year
1960 TSN Rookie of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
The Ohio State University Columbus OH 1956, 1957

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1970 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 91.0 336 1
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 115.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 63.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 2.0 280 0
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 32.0 280 0
1960 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 12.0 24 12