Ryan Howard might not even be the best Phillie from the late 2000s core that represented the greatest era in franchise history — but he certainly had the most jaw-dropping seasons of that generation.
Four of those Howard years are among the most prolific home-run-hitting seasons in Phillies history, and as such, he dominates the top-10 leaderboard of the franchise’s highest single-season home run totals. Here’s that list.
No. 10: Chuck Klein, 1929 — 43 home runs
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, Klein is one of the greatest Phillies in the franchise’s 141-year history. He hit at least 30 home runs in four straight seasons — rare in that era — and his most powerful came in his first full season in the big leagues.
No. 8: Mike Schmidt, 1979 — 45 home runs
Schmidt’s best seasons came in 1980 and 1981 — both MVP years — but it was the season preceding those that saw the 500-club member hit 40 long balls for the first time. Ironically, he led MLB in three straight years from 1974-76 with 36, 38 and 38 homers, but his 45 in 1979 didn’t lead the sport, as Dave Kingman of the Chicago Cubs hit 48.
No. 8: Ryan Howard, 2009 — 45 home runs
You’ll see plenty more of Howard on this list. 2009 was the fourth straight season in which he hit at least 45 home runs. He finished third in MVP voting and drove in 141 runs — his fourth straight year with at least 136 RBIs.
No. 7: Kyle Schwarber, 2022 — 46 home runs
Schwarber’s first season in Philadelphia was a bizarre one. He hit 46 home runs while walking 86 times and striking out 200. He set a career-high in homers that season. Yet, in all regards, he would soon outdo himself.
No. 4 (tie): Kyle Schwarber, 2023 — 47 home runs
Yes, Schwarber would outdo himself in all-around weirdness in Year 2. His strikeouts increased by 15, walks jumped by 40, batting average dropped by 21 points and homers upped by one — putting him one spot higher on the franchise leaderboard. It was the first sub-.200 average, 40-plus-homer season in MLB history. And he led the league in strikeouts. And was second in walks.
No. 4 (tie): Jim Thome, 2003 — 47 home runs
After 12 seasons with Cleveland, Thome come over to Philadelphia to much fanfare — fresh off a 1.122 OPS in 2002 — and delivered. He finished fourth in MVP voting in his first of four (but three consecutive) Phillies seasons.
No. 4 (tie): Ryan Howard, 2007 — 47 home runs
Howard followed up his MVP 2006 season (more on that later) with quite the encore. He finished fifth in MVP voting in 2007, posting a .976 OPS in his second of four straight 40-plus-homer seasons.
No. 2 (tie): Mike Schmidt, 1980 — 48 home runs
The first of those two straight MVP seasons, and the first World Series championship season in franchise history, 1980 wound up seeing Schmidt’s single-season career high in homers. It was arguably the best season — or at least in the top two — for Schmidt, the greatest Phillie ever.
No. 2 (tie): Ryan Howard, 2008 — 48 home runs
Turns out, if you hit exactly 48 home runs in a season as a Phillie, you’re likely to win the World Series that year. Howard made it 2-for-2 in 2008, finishing as the MVP runner-up in the process. It was also the only year in which Howard played all 162 games. He drove in a career-high 146 runs.
No. 1: Ryan Howard, 2006 — 58 home runs
To hit 10 more home runs in a season than any other player in franchise history speaks to just how absurd a season that must be — and absurd, Howard’s 2006 was. The Big Piece won NL MVP with a 1.084 OPS, even hitting for a .313 average. Howard posted a 1.259 OPS in the second half, one of the greatest stretches for one of the top lefty sluggers in club history.
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