Ed Howard (baseball)

Ed Howard
Chicago Cubs
Shortstop
Born: (2002-01-28) January 28, 2002 (age 22)
Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Edward Vernell Howard IV (born January 28, 2002) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Chicago Cubs organization. Howard was selected 16th overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.

Amateur career

Howard grew up in Lynwood, Illinois, and was a member of the Jackie Robinson West Little League team that competed in the 2014 Little League World Series championship game.[1] He attended Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, Illinois, where he was a shortstop on the baseball team and played basketball before giving up the sport to focus on baseball.[2] He was named first team All-Chicago Catholic League (CCL) as a sophomore after batting .380.[3] As a junior, he batted .419 with three home runs, 12 doubles and 29 RBIs and was named first team All-CCL, first team All-Chicago Southland and first team Class 4A All-State.[4][5] Howard played in the Under Armour All-American Game, the Perfect Game All-America Game and the inaugural MLB High School All-Star Game after his junior season.[6][7] Howard entered his senior year as a top prospect for the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[8][9][10][11] As a high school sophomore, Howard committed to play college baseball at the University of Oklahoma, and signed with the Sooners early in his senior year.[3][12][13]

Professional career

Howard was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the 16th overall selection in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[14] Howard signed with the Cubs for a $3.745 million bonus.[15]

Howard made his professional debut in 2021 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Low-A East.[16] Over eighty games, he slashed .225/.277/.315 with four home runs, 31 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.[17] He missed over a month during the season due to a hamstring injury.[18] Howard opened the 2022 season with the South Bend Cubs of the High-A Midwest League.[19] He suffered a season-ending hip injury in May.[20] Howard batted .244 with one home run, 11 RBIs and three stolen bases in 23 games.[21]

References

  1. ^ Fegan, James (March 19, 2020). "Six years after Jackie Robinson West, Ed Howard is a surefire MLB prospect". The Athletic. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  2. ^ Spiegel, Matt (March 30, 2020). "Ed Howard Has Sights Set On Major Leagues". 670TheScore.radio.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "BASEBALL ANNOUNCES STELLAR EARLY SIGNING CLASS". SoonerSports.com. November 13, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  4. ^ "Introducing the 2019 Daily Southtown Baseball All-Area Team". Chicago Tribune. June 20, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  5. ^ Askeland, Kevin (January 22, 2020). "Best high school baseball player in each state". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Reneau, Kegan (July 22, 2019). "OU baseball: Oklahoma 2020 commit Ed Howard playing in Under Armor All-American game". Sooners Wire. USA Today. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  7. ^ Friedl, Ben (July 23, 2019). "Ben Hernandez and Ed Howard rep' Chicago at top high school showcase". Medill News Service - Chicago. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. ^ Cole, Howard (April 15, 2020). "Baseball America Predicts Ed Howard to be Dodgers First Selection in 2020 Mock Draft". SI.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "Baseball mock drafts pair Dillon Dingler, Ed Howard with Twins". Star Tribune. April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  10. ^ "Under Armour All-America Game is a homecoming for Ed Howard". Baseball America. July 22, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  11. ^ Gonzalez, Mark (March 25, 2020). "2 Chicagoland prep stars ranked highly in Baseball America's top draft prospects". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Collin (February 14, 2020). "Sooner signee Ed Howard projected MLB Draft top-10 pick". 247Sports.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  13. ^ "Disabato: Mount Carmel shortstop Ed Howard, 'the best high school player in the country,' still on track to be first-round pick in MLB draft". Chicago Tribune. April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  14. ^ Gonzales, Mark (June 10, 2020). "Ed Howard is ready for the brightest spotlight as the Chicago Cubs' 1st-round pick in the MLB draft: 'I'm excited to be a hometown guy'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Hawley, Larry (June 22, 2020). "Cubs sign first round draft pick Ed Howard". WGNTV.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  16. ^ Huang, Michael (August 3, 2021). "Scouting report: Cubs prospect Ed Howard". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Cubs Prospect Focus: Ed Howard". December 20, 2021.
  18. ^ "Safe at home: Why ed Howard 'built for the pressure'". February 21, 2022.
  19. ^ "The South Bend Cubs are back in town. What to know about the 2022 minor league season".
  20. ^ "Ed Howard: Chicago Cubs prospect has significant hip injury". Chicago Tribune. May 15, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  21. ^ "Cubs' Ed Howard: Done for season". CBSSports.com. RotoWire. May 18, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.