Howard praised for stellar rookie year

11/11/2005
In winning the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year Award, Phillies slugger Ryan Howard garnered praise from his peers and management throughout Major League Baseball:
"Having your name associated with such a pioneer and legend in baseball as Jackie Robinson is a very special honor. Ryan is off to a great start and I wish him continued success. Respect and give the game your best every day. Congratulations!" -- Scott Rolen, Cardinals third baseman and 1997 NL Rookie of the Year Award winner while playing with the Phils
"If it wasn't for Ryan, we wouldn't have finished as well as we did. His play was indicative of how his career will be. He worked hard, played hard, and I couldn't be happier for him." -- Billy Wagner
"There is no such thing as making a good pitch to him. Some of the home runs he hit against us were really unbelievable. Our pitchers often said they thought they made a quality pitch only to have him drive the ball. There is no telling how good he can be." -- Willie Randolph, Mets manager
"I thought he did a great job. He definitely deserves the award, and I feel he kept the Phillies in the race the whole time [Jim] Thome was out." -- Larry Bowa, Yankees third-base coach
"There are very few precedents in history for a player to come up from the Minor Leagues as late in the year as Ryan Howard did and still win Rookie of the Year. But this was more than just a case of pure numbers. Not only did this guy have a higher slugging percentage than Richie Sexson or Paul Konerko, he had to step into Jim Thome's gigantic shoes, in the middle of a Wild Card race. But he did more than just fill those shoes. He was practically the team MVP the last two months of the season." -- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com
"He was a slam dunk, in my opinion. He shouldn't have had any competition. He played big and he played at the end of the game." -- John Vukovich, Phillies special assistant to the GM
"I think with the numbers he put up and the year he had, he definitely deserves this honor." -- Bill Dancy, Phillies third-base coach
"It is certainly well deserved. He admirably filled the huge shoes of Jim Thome when he went down with an injury. Ryan is destined for a brilliant and long Major League career." -- Harry Kalas, Phillies Hall of Fame broadcaster

Source: http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/