| J. P. Howell | |
|---|---|
 Howell with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1983-04-25)April 25, 1983 (age 42) Modesto, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 11, 2005, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 13, 2017, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 36–30 |
| Earned run average | 3.83 |
| Strikeouts | 566 |
| Saves | 22 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
James Phillip Howell (born April 25, 1983)[1] is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theKansas City Royals,Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays,Los Angeles Dodgers, andToronto Blue Jays.
Howell attendedJesuit High School inSacramento, California where he was a four-year varsity letterwinner. In his senior season, he was 10–0 with a 0.09 ERA and 137 strikeouts, earning California Player of the Year, Sacramento Player of the Year and all-city honors in 2001, as well as being named a first-team All-American byUSA Today.[2] He set a sectional playoff record with 47 strikeouts in 22 innings in 2000 as a junior and played in various international tournaments, including winning silver medals at the2001 Junior Pan American Games, the 2000 International Baseball Association Foundation Games and the 1998 and 1999 AAU National Championships.[3]
Howell was drafted by theAtlanta Braves in the 2nd round of the2001 MLB draft[4] but chose to accept a scholarship to theUniversity of Southern California, where coachMike Gillespie said of him, "J.P. is a phenomenal freshman talent."[2] He was 3–4 with a 6.32 ERA as a freshman for the Trojans.[5] He left the program and, after briefly considering transferring toCal State Fullerton, instead chose to transfer to theUniversity of Texas.[6]
Howell was 10–2 with a 2.52 ERA as a sophomore for the Longhorns and 15–2 with a 2.13 ERA as a junior.[5] In 2002, he playedcollegiate summer baseball in theCape Cod Baseball League for theBourne Braves, and returned to the league in 2003 to play for theWareham Gatemen.[7][8][9] He led the Longhorns to an appearance in the2004 College World Series championship series. Howell had the lowest ERA in the CWS that year at 0.77. He was selected as 1st team College All-American andBig 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year.[10]
Howell was drafted in the 1st round of the2004 MLB draft by theKansas City Royals.[11] He made his professional debut with theIdaho Falls Chukars of thePioneer League in 2004, appearing in six games (four as a starter) with a 3–1 record and 2.77 ERA.[12] He began 2005 with theHigh Desert Mavericks of theCalifornia League and after eight starts was promoted to theWichita Wranglers of theTexas League and then theOmaha Royals of thePacific Coast League. Between the three levels he made 18 starts and was 8–2 with a 2.83 ERA and 100 strikeouts.[12]
Howell made hisMajor League Baseball debut with the Royals on June 11, 2005. He started the game against theArizona Diamondbacks and allowed one run in five innings, with eight strikeouts, to record the win.[13] Diamondbacks outfielderLuis Gonzalez said of Howell, "We didn't have much of anything on him going in. It was like walking down a dark alley."[14] He made a total of 15 starts for the Royals in 2005 and was 3-5 with a 6.19 ERA.[11] He began 2006 back with Omaha, where he was 3–2 with a 4.75 ERA in eight starts,[12] missing the month of May as a result of shoulder stiffness.[15]
On June 20, 2006, Howell was traded to theTampa Bay Devil Rays forinfielderFernando Cortez andoutfielderJoey Gathright.[11] It was the first trade by new Royalsgeneral managerDayton Moore who said the deal was made to improve the outfield defense. Devil Rays vice-presidentAndrew Friedman said that he envisioned Howell pitching in their starting rotation at some point.[16]
Howell was assigned to the Triple-ADurham Bulls, where he made ten starts and was 5–3 with a 2.62 ERA.[12] He made his Devil Rays debut on August 1, 2006, against theDetroit Tigers, allowing six runs in only 32⁄3 innings.[17] He started eight games for the Devil Rays and was 1–3 with a 5.10 ERA.[11] He split the 2007 season between the Devil Rays and the Bulls. In the minors, he was 7–8 with a 3.38 ERA in 21 starts[12] and started game one of theInternational League championship series.[18] In the majors, he started ten games and was 1–6 with a 7.59 ERA.[11]
In 2008, the Rays decided to move him out of thestarting rotation and into thebullpen, a change which led to an increase in velocity on his pitches and a better break on his breaking balls.[19] He went 6-1 with a 2.22 ERA in 64 games, striking out 92 batters while earning three saves.[11] He also pitched in the2008 World Series, in which he took the loss in the deciding game five against thePhiladelphia Phillies.[20] Howell's89+1⁄3 innings pitched in the 2008 regular season tiedJosh Rupe for the most relief innings pitched that season, with Howell pitching an additional 12 innings in the postseason for101+1⁄3 innings total.
Howell became the Rays closer in June 2009 after an injury toTroy Percival. He converted his first tensave opportunities and had a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings but afterRyan Langerhans of theSeattle Mariners hit a two-run homer off him on August 7 he blew three straight save opportunities. "Terrible feeling" he told the press.[21] He rebounded and finished the season with a 7–5 record and a 2.84 ERA in 69 games with 17 saves.[11]
In 2010, Howell suffered from what was reported as "weakness" in his left shoulder during spring training, causing him to begin the season on the disabled list.[22] He threw in a simulated game on May 17, but stopped after only twelve pitches, still experiencing discomfort in his shoulder.[23] A few days later he underwent surgery on the shoulder to repair a torn labrum, causing him to miss the entire 2010 season.[24]
Howell was expected to miss the start of the following season as well[25] and was non-tendered by the Rays on December 10, 2010, to avoid arbitration.[26] He was re-signed on December 13 to a one-year, $1.1 million, deal with the Rays.[27]
Howell rejoined the Rays roster on May 20, 2011,[28] and pitched in 46 games in 2011, with a 6.16 ERA.[11] In 2012, he signed another one-year contract with the Rays, for $1.35 million,[29] and pitched in 55 games with a 3.04 ERA.[11]
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On January 4, 2013, Howell agreed to a one-year, $2.85 million contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers.[30] He was a key part of the Dodgers bullpen, appearing in 67 games with a 4-1 record and 2.03 ERA.[11] After the season, he re-signed with the Dodgers on a two-year, $11.25 million, contract that contained a third-year option.[31] He had a 2.39 ERA in 68 appearances for the team in 2014.[11] In the 2015 season, he was 6–1 with a 1.43 ERA in 65 appearances.[32] After the season, Howell exercised his $6.25 million player option for 2016.[33] He was not as effective in 2016, as he had a 4.09 ERA in 64 appearances out of the bullpen.[34] He became a free agent following the season.
On February 9, 2017, Howell signed a one-year, $3 million contract with theToronto Blue Jays.[35][36] On August 16, Howell was designated for assignment.[37] He was released on August 20.[38]
On May 29, 2018, Howell signed with theSan Rafael Pacifics of thePacific Association. He became a free agent following the season. In 3 starts 10 innings he went 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
Howell is a soft tosser. He throws hissinker in the mid 80's, topping out at 90 MPH. He also throws aknuckle-curve that has been described byscouts as "heavy" because of its extremely sharp downward break, and some even classify it as aslider.[39] He throws achange-up that breaks away from right-handed hitters. Howell has solidcommand of all three pitches.[40]
He was an excellent fielding pitcher in his major league career. In 619.2innings pitched covering 547 games, Howell committed only one error in 146total chances for a .993fielding percentage.[11]
In 2009, he marriedHeather Hennessy, whom he met at USC,[41] a former USC 800 meter runner andFox Sports reporter[41] who is a member of theLos Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame.[42] The couple founded Discover Your Path Foundation to reach out to kids together.[43] In 2011, Heather Hennessy-Howell published a children's book, 'The Adventures of Dangles' with an anti-bullying theme.[44] In August 2016, his wife filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, listing their date of separation as August 8.[45]
