Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979, in St. Louis, Missouri) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed”The Big Piece”,[1] Howard stands 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) and weighs 240 pounds (110 kg). He bats and throws left-handed.

Howard was the 2006 National League MVP. Howard is the fastest player to reach both the 100 and 200 home run milestones in Major League Baseball history, passing the marks in 2007 and 2009, respectively.