We are just 29 days away from Opening Day 2009 and the number 29 holds a large significance here in Lakewood.

The Big Man, former NL MVP and Rookie of the Year, Ryan Howard wore the #29 on his back here for the BlueClaws during the 2002 season. Since then he has worn both the numbers 12 and 6 for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Howard was a 5th round selection in the 2001 draft (140th overall) and spent his first season in the minor leagues with the Batavia Muckdogs, who are now affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals (oddly enough, Howard’s hometown team). He came to Lakewood in 2002 and was named to the SAL mid-season All-Star team. That year, Howard hit .272 with 19 home runs and 87 RBI and is among the single season leaders for the BlueClaws in the following categories.

Home Runs: 19 – 2nd

Triples: 6 – 4th

RBI: 87 – 3rd

Total bases: 227 – 2nd   

Howard returned to Lakewood in 2007 for a two-game rehab stint where he added his 20th career BlueClaws home run and helped draw almost 18,000 fans in 2 days.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 9:15 am and is filed under 70 in 70, Past BlueClaws, Phillies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.