His batting average on balls in play (BABiP) sits at an abnormally low .206, which speaks to unluckiness, but his batted ball percentages are haywire as well, which is likely a big factor in deflating his BABiP. From Howard's page on FanGraphs:
As you can see, Howard is about 5% below his career LD% and 4% above his career GB%. Considering that he's facing an infield shift most of the time he's at the plate, it's hard to get a ground ball base hit, so subsequently, an increase in GB% translates almost exactly into an increase in outs. Howard's forte is the home run as well, and home runs aren't accomplished by hitting grounders.
In last week's report, I cited Howard's slugging on different types of pitches using Josh Kalk's player cards. He hadn't gotten a single hit on a sinker, slider, or a cutter. That hasn't changed. Despite seeing 12, 48, and 32 of them respectively, Howard has still yet to log a hit on those pitches, and all nine of his extra-base hits have come on fastballs.
It doesn't appear that Howard is taking advice from anyone, either. Manager Charlie Manuel -- a noted hitting guru -- suggested he move up in the batter's box, and Howard flatly refused even though he admitted he was uncomfortable at the plate.
Without further ado, let's see his pace and how he matches up against the game's top starting pitchers in strikeouts and homers.
Howard is on pace to match his 2007 strikeout total given 600 plate appearances, and will shatter it if he gets 650.
Walks are the only thing keeping Howard's on-base percentage even at a Pedro Feliz (read: low) level. He will most likely set a career high in walks, as he drew 108 and 107 in 2006 and '07, respectively.
Major League Baseball Strikeout Leaders
Johan Santana, NYM: 46.1 IP, 47 K
Jake Peavy, SDP: 48.2 IP, 46 K
Ryan Howard, PHI: 114 AB, 45 K
Tim Lincecum, SFG: 42.1 IP, 45 K
Felix Hernandez, SEA: 50.1 IP, 44 K
Edinson Volquez, CIN: 35.1 IP, 42 K
Cole Hamels, PHI: 49.1 IP, 41 K
Aaron Harang, CIN: 48.1 IP, 41 K
On an equally hilarious note, twelve starting pitchers in Major League Baseball have allowed more home runs than Howard himself has hit. Teammate Brett Myers leads the pack with eleven HR allowed, compared to Howard's six.