Frank Howard
| Birthdate | 8/8/1936 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1958 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Dodgers, Rangers, Senators, Tigers |
| Positions | First Base, Left Field, Right Field |
Frank Howard owns the record for all MLB Washington franchises for most homers (48) and total bases (340) in a single season.
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Former Rookie of the Year Frank Howard led the league in HR & total bases twice, slugging %, RBI and walks once each
Former Rookie of the Year Frank Howard led the league in HR & total bases twice, slugging %, RBI and walks once each
Frank Howard averaged 20.1 points and 15.3 rebounds an All American basketball player at Ohio State University. Drafted by the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors, he instead chose baseball as his life’s profession.
Howard played 17 games for the Dodgers in 1958 and ’59 before supplanting Carl Furillo as the everyday right fielder. He took advantage of the opportunity, slugging 23 homers with 77 RBI. The 6’7″ Howard earned the Rookie of the Year Award. He beat out future Hall of Famer Ron Santo as well as two-time batting champ Tommy Davis to earn the prize. Nicknamed “Hondo” after a John Wayne film character, Howard spent his first seven seasons with Los Angeles He helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 1963.
His best years came for the Washington Senators. From 1966-1969, The Capital Punisher slammed 172 round-trippers, twice leading the league. From 1967-1971 he led all of baseball in homers. An All Star in four of those five seasons, Howard averaged 40 bombs, 103 RBI, and 301 total bases in that time.
Howard had 10 seasons of 20 or more homers. Five times he hit 30 or more. From ’68-’70 he recorded three straight years of 40+ home runs. By the time he retired, Howard had 382 homers, the 8th most by a right-handed hitter.
His 142 career OPS+ is the same as Cap Anson and Eddie Collins. It stands above that of David Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero, Alex Rodriguez, and Reggie Jackson.
Some believe Howard’s career warrants a closer look by the Veterans Committee.
After retiring as a player, Howard managed the Padres and Mets. He also coached the Brewers, Mariners, both New York teams, and the Rays. In popular culture he was immortalized in Danny Kaye’s 1962 D-O-D-G-E-R-S song. Howard was also inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
In the collection is this 1960 Topps rookie card signed by Frank Howard.
The Senators acquired Frank Howard for Claude Osteen in a 7-player deal that helped both Washington and Los Angeles
The Senators acquired Frank Howard for Claude Osteen in a 7-player deal that helped both Washington and Los Angeles
Outside of Washington’s Nationals Park is a statue of Frank Howard. It’s no wonder. From 1967-1971 the man called The Capital Punisher led all the majors in home runs. An all star in four of those five years, he averaged 40 home runs, 103 RBI, and 301 total bases during the run.
Howard landed in Washington after 7 seasons in Los Angeles. A December trade in 1964 headlined Hondo for Claude Osteen in a seven-player swap. It was the rare deal that helped both team.
Official Dodger team historian Mark Langil broke down the trade thusly, “During his nine-year career with the Dodgers, Osteen averaged 37 starts, 266 innings and 16 wins. Osteen was a 20-game winner in 1969 and 1972. He was traded to the Houston Astros after the 1973 season in exchange for outfielder Jimmy Wynn, himself a key component of the 1974 NL pennant-winning Dodgers.
“As for Howard, he became a fan favorite in Washington until the franchise moved to Texas in 1972. He was an All-Star in four consecutive seasons and between 1968 and 1970 belted 136 home runs. Howard drew a career-high 132 walks in 1970 to complement his 44 home runs and 126 RBI.”
Shown here are a pair of index cards. The top one is signed by Osteen who has added, “3 Time All Star”. Osteen has inscribed the bottom card with his career highlights, “20 game winner twice 1969-1972, World Series shutout 4-0 1965, Lifetime ERA 3.29, World Series ERA 0.86 21 inn, winning pitcher – 1970 All Star Game”.
Played college BB for Ohio State !
Frank Howard was a very good major league player. In my opinion, he was underrated. When he went to the Washington Senators. He took his game to another level and became the Superstar, we grew to love and appreciate. He was a Awesome homerun hitter. He hit some historical prodigious tape measure home runs.