Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979) is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. Howard previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2016. Howard stands 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) and weighs 240 pounds (110 kg). He bats and throws left-handed. Howard holds numerous MLB and Phillies' franchise records.

Howard made his MLB debut in 2004. He won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 and the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2006. He is a three-time NL All-Star (2006, 2009, 2010), and has won the Silver Slugger Award, Hank Aaron Award, and the NL Championship Series MVP Award in 2009. Known for his power, Howard is a member of the 50 home run club. He is a two-time NL home run champion (2006, 2008), and became the fastest player to reach both the 100 and 200 home run milestones in MLB history, passing the marks in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Howard was born in St. Louis. He attended Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri, and Missouri State University, where he played college baseball for the Missouri State Bears baseball team from 1998 to 2001. Howard finished his collegiate career with 50 home runs, 183 runs batted in (RBIs), and a .335 career batting average in 172 games played. He was the 1999 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Missouri State retired his number on December 18, 2010. He played one summer in the Central Illinois Collegiate League, a league partially funded by Major League Baseball (MLB) for future prospects to develop.

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