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From Rookie of the Year to MVP

It is hard to decide which is more amazing - the numbers put up by Ryan Howard this year or the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies nearly traded him before he joined their Major League club. A fifth-round pick in the 2001 amateur draft, Howard`s role on the team was a minor one at first. He filled in for Jim Thome, hitting 22 homers and 63 RBIs in 88 games, before Thome was shipped to the Chicago White Sox last November. The Phillies, in what would have turned out a costly decision, almost sent Howard packing instead. Luckily for Philly, interest was lukewarm.

After winning the NL Rookie of the Year award last season, the 26 year-old, 6-foot-4 and 252 pounds, left-hander is having perhaps the best season of any second-year player in major league history. Howard is batting .316, with 58 home runs and 146 RBIs. Even Babe Ruth didn`t have as many homers or RBIs in his second full year as a hitter. As he chases the 60 home run mark, reached by only five players before him, Howard has almost single-handedly turned the Phillies into a playoff contender. "We`re in the position we`re in because of what he`s done," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

Howard is doing it although he doesn`t have a consistent hitter batting behind him. Thus, opposing teams consistently put him on base. His incredible season makes Howard a leading candidate for NL MVP. St. Louis` Albert Pujols and New York`s Carlos Beltran are also candidates, both playing for legit playoff teams. If not this time around, perhaps next years he will win the award. After hitting .143 against left-handers last year, Howard made a few adjustments and has doubled that average this season. The kid is still learning.