Roy Howell

Roy Lee Howell (December 18, 1953 in Lompoc, California), is an American former professional baseball player who played third base in Major League Baseball from 1974–1984 for the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Milwaukee Brewers. He is currently a manager in minor league baseball with the Seattle Mariners AAA affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers.

Playing career

Texas Rangers (1974–1977)

Howell was selected in the first round, fourth overall by the Texas Rangers in the 1972 MLB Draft. He made his major-league debut with the Rangers during the first game of a doubleheader against the California Angels on September 9, 1974. Howell earned his first career hit in the game, a single against the Angels Chuck Dobson in a 3-1 loss. In the second game of the doubleheader, Howell hit his first career home run against Ed Figueroa, as the Rangers defeated California 5-3. Howell appeared in 13 games with the Rangers, hitting .250 with 1 HR and 3 RBI.

Howell became the Rangers starting third baseman in 1975, as in 125 games, he hit .251 with 10 HR and 51 RBI. In 1976, Howell played in 140 games, batting .253 with 8 HR and 53 RBI, while recording a league high 28 errors at third base.

In 1977, Howell lost his starting job to Toby Harrah, and in 17 at-bats with the Rangers over seven games, Howell did not record a hit. On May 9, the Rangers traded Howell to the Toronto Blue Jays for Steve Hargan, Jim Mason, and $200,000.

Toronto Blue Jays (1977–1980)

Howell became the everyday third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays to finish the 1977 season, and in 96 games with Toronto, he hit .316 with 10 HR and 44 RBI.

On September 10, 1977, Howell hit 2 home runs, 2 doubles, a single, and collected 9 RBI's in a 19-3 win against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. To this day, Howell's 9 RBI's in one game is the Blue Jays' franchise record.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197709100.shtml

In 1978, Howell was selected as a reserve player for the 1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. In the fourth inning of the game, Howell entered as a pinch hitter against Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos, as he grounded out to first base to end the inning. He played in 140 games for the Blue Jays that season, hitting .270 with 8 HR and 61 RBI.

Howell saw his power numbers increase during the 1979 season, as in 138 games, Howell hit 15 HR and 72 RBI, both the second highest totals on the team, along with a .247 batting average.

In 1980, Howell played in a career high 142 games, hitting .269 with 10 HR and 57 RBI. On October 23, Howell became a free agent.

Milwaukee Brewers (1981–1984)

On December 20, 1980, Howell signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers. He suffered through an injury plagued 1981 season, as Howell appeared in 76 games, batting .238 with 6 HR and 33 RBI, helping the Brewers reach the playoffs. In the 1981 ALDS against the New York Yankees, Howell played in four games, batting .400 in five at-bats, as Milwaukee lost the series.

In 1982, the Brewers used Howell mostly as a designated hitter, and in 98 games, Howell hit .260 with 4 HR and 38 RBI, helping the team reach the playoffs for the second straight season. In the 1982 ALCS, Howell played in one game, going 0 for 3, as the Brewers defeated the California Angels. In the 1982 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Howell played in four games, going 0 for 11, as Milwaukee lost the series.

Howell played in 69 games with the Brewers in 1983, hitting .278 with 4 HR and 25 RBI. Howell continued to see limited playing time in 1984, as in 68 games, he hit .232 with 4 HR and 17 RBI. On October 1, the Brewers released Howell.

He signed with the San Francisco Giants before the 1985 season, however, Howell would be released by the Giants during spring training. He spent the 1985 season with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League, the Philadelphia Phillies AAA affiliate. After the season, Howell retired from baseball.

Major League Career (1974-1984)

Howell appeared in 1112 games during his playing career, as he collected 991 hits. He hit .261 with 80 HR and 454 RBI, and played in the 1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Howell also played in nine playoff games, hitting .105 with 0 HR and 0 RBI.

Post retirement

In retirement, Howell coached in the San Diego Padres' farm system,^[1] conducted youth baseball clinics in San Luis Obispo, California. and in 2011 he became the field manager for the Pennsylvania Road Warriors of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league.

He then joined the Seattle Mariners as a hitting coach for the Single A High Desert Mavericks and the Double-A Jackson Generals. During 2014 spring training, he was named the manager of the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League, on March 12, 2014.^[1] He succeeded Rich Donnelly, who was promoted to Major League third-base coach earlier in spring training before managing a game for Tacoma after the surgery-induced resignation of M's coach John Stearns.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)