Ryan Howard Is out of His Mind.

Ryan Howard: 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 3 HR

Ryan Howard must have forgotten he is traditionally a slow starter. I know this is spring and pitching gets pretty thin during it, but you simply cannot look at these numbers and ignore them.

If it were just home runs he were hitting, then fine, I would say take them with a grain of salt.

However, .310/.390/.746 in 26 games of spring training action convinces me that Ryan came ready to play. On the down side, he still does not take walks, as he only has 10 in those 26 games.

He also is still striking out a lot with 21 K's this spring. This could all be a result of a good power hitter versus diluted pitching, which we all know is a recipe for gaudy offensive numbers.

The Phillies will definitely need a more complete offensive season from him this year than he put up last year. He hit home runs in 2008 at a league best pace and managed to drive in a bunch of runs due to a great Philly lineup.

In 2009, they are missing a key impact bat in Pat Burrell, who left for Tampa, and that could have more impact on this lineup than many think. Championship teams are a very tough balancing act, and this one will need a better year from its clean-up hitter to stay up.

Howard rips 10th, but Phils fall to Nats[Todd Zolecki / MLB.com]