In the class of baseball’s most prolific home run hitters in history, Ryan Howard stands alone as the oldest slugger to enter the major leagues. Follow his journey to appreciate the man’s dangerous hot streaks, to dispel a couple of Howard myths, and to see that Jim Thome was not the only closed door that delayed Ryan’s arrival to greatness.
*This article is based on a presentation given at SABR‘s 36th Annual Meeting of the Bob Davids Chapter on January 24, 2009.