Jack Howell

by mattwelch on Dec 26, 2008 9:53 PM PST Comment 26 comments

For some reason, we are having a pretty strenuous argument about Jack Howell, of all people, over in Acuda's latest post about Kendry Morales. I won't go into it here; rather, I wanted to share a bit of a surprise I found while noodling over at the Baseball Reference site.

You know how B-Ref has those "B-R Bullpen" wikipedia-style pages for each player? And you know how they're mostly disappointing, so maybe you stop clicking on them after a while? Well not for Jack Howell! Besides learning that the guy won the Japanese Central League's MVP award his first season over there (while we were treated back home to the sucktastic stylings of Gary "I only hit when I'm not an Angel" Gaetti, well, this two-sentence squib is just jam-packed with stuff I didn't know:

A free agent [after 1991], Howell was considering returning to San Diego to fight for the third base job but Doug DeCinces called him and asked if he would be interested in appearing for the Yakult Swallows. DeCinces had gone to Yakult after Howell had unseated him from the Angels job a few years prior.

Interesting! Anyway, the whole page is worth a read.

Poll

Most disappointing can't-miss Angel prospect in team history

Jack Howell

6 votes

Jeff Mathis

15 votes

Dick Schofield

7 votes

Dallas McPherson

221 votes

Rick Reichardt

9 votes

Danny Goodwin

14 votes

272 votes | Poll has closed

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

0 recs | Comment 26 comments

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Comments

Here is the weird thing:

Howell actually amassed good numbers as an Angel, but they were broken up into two stints (ala Chili Davis) and he is perceived as a disappointment because his first tour of duty was the disappointing few seasons of his career instead of the “cannot miss prospect”… and then when he actually came here and rakes our teams were so bad it was like an eyedropper of water into the center of the pacific ocean.

by Rev Halofan on Dec 26, 2008 9:59 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Wow, and don't even get me started on Bobby Rose!

Check out the Japantastic career of another late-‘80s Angel prospect! Here’s a teaser:

Rose’s .325 career batting average is third best in Nippon Pro Baseball history, trailing only Ichiro Suzuki and Hanshin first baseman Randy Bass among those with 2,000 or more AB. His OBP was .402 and his slugging was .531 and he was clearly the top 2B of the 90s in Japan and the top 2B in Yokohama history.

by mattwelch on Dec 26, 2008 10:09 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I still blame the bus accident.

"…he has a 2 seam ‘heavy’ fastball that has sink but he does not throw a ‘sinker’." Angel Aviator on Jake Peavy.

by GarretSaysSuckIt on Dec 26, 2008 10:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If I recall

Sometime in 1991 or 1992 he made his MLB debut and was hitting everything left and right those first few games only to fail shortly afterwards. In any case, you would have thought he was the second coming of Pete Rose.

by stolenbases on Dec 28, 2008 8:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You know it's the offseason, and that we're real Angel fans,

because we’re even discussing Jack Howell.

Fucking Awesome!

"…he has a 2 seam ‘heavy’ fastball that has sink but he does not throw a ‘sinker’." Angel Aviator on Jake Peavy.

by GarretSaysSuckIt on Dec 26, 2008 10:32 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Exaclty!

Thank god no one is dissing Paul Schaal. Another one of my all time Angel 3rd base guys (who can’t seem to crack the top 100). Maybe it’s for the best, seeing the abuse he might take.

Angel Pitching, Angel Defense - get past that.

by vladtheimpaler on Dec 26, 2008 10:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I had assumed Schaal sucked until yesterday

When I ran a check of all 3Bmen in ML history w/ 2500 plate appearances, and ranked them by OPS+. He comes in with a career 99 OPS+, which right smack dab in the middle of the pack.

by mattwelch on Dec 26, 2008 11:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Definitely need to add

George Arias and Todd Greene to the list of disappointing can’t-miss prospects…

Jim Scully

Jim Scully Home
Haloville - Land of the Halos

by jimmuscomp on Dec 27, 2008 8:05 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I remember having arguments...

on the old AOL Grandstand boards with various fans of other teams about how bad ass Todd Greene was going to be…

I was part dolt and part homer…

Now, at least, I have this thing called skepticism.

Jim Scully

Jim Scully Home
Haloville - Land of the Halos

by jimmuscomp on Dec 27, 2008 9:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Arias and Greene

George Arias just sucked period. I remember how he was going to be this great power hitting 3B (we seem to have bad luck with those) for years to come with the Angels, but obviously that didn’t pan out. I think he ended up getting traded to the Padres.

Todd Greene had that one awesome game against the Chicago White Sox in 1996 I believe where he drove in a bunch of runs as the Angels threatened to come back from a huge hole against the Frank Thomas-Robin Ventura led Sox. It was a really exciting game though the Angels ultimately lost. For some reason when I think of Todd Greene, I think of that game instead of his injury plagued baseball career with the Angels. If he would have stayed healthy, I actually think he would have been a solid 20+ homer guy for the Angels. He had the power, but unfortunately not the health.

by stolenbases on Dec 28, 2008 8:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Is it Tori Luvello.....how bout him ?

Stay on the damn bag!!

by higdog on Dec 27, 2008 8:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I think he was a former Tigers prospect that had already flamed out when we got him

He got that kiss of death from Sparky Anderson when he was a Tiger.

by stolenbases on Dec 28, 2008 8:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Video of Jack Howell from 1988

With so much discussion about Jack Howell it would be nice to see him swing the bat. Here are highlights of an Angels/Blue Jays game from July 1988.

Watch Howell hit a HR and a double
Gasp in amazement at how skinny the players were back then

YouTube link

BRef box score

"Playoffs?? Don’t talk about — playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!"

by Fan Since 1981 on Dec 27, 2008 9:15 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Next to the last year they played in Exhibition Park

What a dump. The only major league baseball stadium in which a game has been played with the field completely covered in snow, and also the only game called on account of wind.

Witty .sig goes here.

by scareduck on Dec 27, 2008 9:35 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

hell

Even David wells was thin(ish) then

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Specializing in maniac-ball since 2000

by halofan4life on Dec 27, 2008 9:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh wow a botched suicide squeeze

so I guess Sosh had a legacy to uphold.

And I cannot believe someone made a post on how “not terrible” this guy Howell guy is.

Look at this stats, delete this entire thread.

I brought sexy back, but they only gave me store credit....

by PhiSlamma on Dec 27, 2008 10:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ignorance being more blissful, sure

by mattwelch on Dec 27, 2008 2:32 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Pats Matt's head

Poor guy, I dont think he even knows what he is saying half the time.

Smile and nod, smile and nod guys.

I brought sexy back, but they only gave me store credit....

by PhiSlamma on Dec 28, 2008 12:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Let me start by

saying I typically enjoy your comments (and humor.) Further, Matt doesn’t need me to defend him. However, suggesting that Matt (or Mat) are senile, well it makes you sound very Acuda-ish. I’m on board with Jack Howell not being anything better than basically average, or just below for a career, but to flippantly suggest that someone’s ideas, even when logically and intelligently presented should be deleted makes you sound ignorant.

Lamest poster of all-time.

by ineptituderunsamok on Dec 28, 2008 6:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh no, you just dissed Acuda

Who has aroused more comments on his fanpost than any other on the current board!

Angel Pitching, Angel Defense - get past that.

by vladtheimpaler on Dec 29, 2008 1:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He isnt senile

I think we enjoy going back and forth at each other.

I respect everyone here, including Matt.

I brought sexy back, but they only gave me store credit....

by PhiSlamma on Dec 29, 2008 2:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately I had to remove the video

Hope those who saw it got a nice trip down memory lane.

"Playoffs?? Don’t talk about — playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!"

by Fan Since 1981 on Dec 29, 2008 2:32 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Rick Reichardt was the last of the " bonus babies "…….. presented a bonus for signing a major leaague contract in 1964, the last year before Major Leauge Baseball instituted the Universal Draft System ( Rick Monday was the first player selected in the 1965 Draft by the K.C. Athletic’s ).

Reichardt was given a $ 200,000 signing bonus, a record at the time. Health problems ( kidney ailment ) definitely affected his potential. He also hit the first homer at Anaheim Stadium in 1966.

Health problems ( back surgery ) should also be considered with affecting Dallas McPherson’s career with the Angels.

by Canada Angel on Dec 27, 2008 9:45 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Health

Is it just me or have the Angels over the years had a disproportionate number of prospects (especially those that aren’t pitchers) get injured compared to other teams? I am sure if I followed other teams as closely as I follow the Angels, I could find instances where teams like the Mariners had a bunch of “can’t miss prospects” only to see them fail or not fully blossom due to their injuries.

by stolenbases on Dec 28, 2008 9:00 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs