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Spencer Howard
Spencer Lee Howard (born July 28, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Guardians, and in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Born in San Luis Obispo and raised in Templeton, California, Howard played baseball and volleyball at Templeton High School. He received no scholarship offers to play college baseball but joined the Cal Poly Mustangs after a tryout camp. Originally a relief pitcher, he joined the starting rotation in 2017.
The Phillies selected Howard in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft, and he made his major league debut in 2020. He was traded to the Rangers the next year. Howard struggled with injury and stamina throughout his major league career, and by 2023, he was primarily a Triple-A player. In 2025, Howard left MLB and joined the Golden Eagles on a one-year contract.
Spencer Lee Howard was born on July 28, 1996, in San Luis Obispo, California. He grew up in nearby Templeton, California, and was a multi-sport athlete at Templeton High School, playing baseball, volleyball, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee. Baseball was not Howard's athletic priority; he almost quit the team during his junior year in order to pursue volleyball, and he did not play on private travel teams like many other high school baseball players seeking to break into professional leagues. After being persuaded by his coach to remain on the baseball team, Howard helped take Templeton to the Los Padres League championship as a junior in 2014. At Templeton, Howard served as both a pitcher and an outfielder. During his senior season, Howard posted a 7–3 win–loss record, with a 2.20 earned run average (ERA), and he struck out 87 batters in 66+2⁄3 innings pitched. As a hitter, he also maintained a .306 batting average. At the end of the year, he was named both the San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year and the Los Padres League Most Valuable Player.
Having not received any scholarship offers to play college baseball, Howard chose to attend California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and major in business. In August 2015, before arriving at Cal Poly, Howard contacted the Mustangs baseball program and said that he was interested in playing for them. He impressed coaches at a fall tryout camp, pitching up to 88 mph (142 km/h), and was one of 35 players named to the team. Howard chose to redshirt his freshman year in order to put on more muscle mass. He took up a yoga-based athletic program, gained 10 pounds (4.5 kg), and improved his fastball speed from 86–87 mph (138–140 km/h) to above 90 mph (140 km/h).
The summer after his freshman year of college, Howard played collegiate summer baseball with the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League. Under the supervision of pitching coach Jim Clem, he spent the summer diversifying his pitching repertoire with a new breaking ball and changeup. Playing as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Howard served as a relief pitcher for the Mustangs, where he posted a 3–1 record and a 2.95 ERA, striking out 39 batters in 36+2⁄3 innings. Howard also recorded one save. In his 21 season appearances, Howard averaged more than 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Howard returned to Bellingham for another season of summer baseball in 2016. Most of his work with Clem that summer was in building his strength, in the hopes that he would become a starting pitcher. After a member of the Cal Poly starting rotation suffered an injury, Howard was called to fill in as a starting pitcher for the 2017 season. Partway through his redshirt sophomore season, Fangraphs named Howard the top overall draft-eligible pitcher, as well as the top starter, in the Big West Conference. He went 8–1 that season in 17 games, 12 of which were starts, with a 2.05 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 87+2⁄3 innings. MLB.com ranked Howard the 99th-best prospect in his draft class, while Baseball America ranked him 137th.
The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Howard in the second round, 45th overall, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He was the third-highest draft pick in Cal Poly history, and the highest that year. Howard signed with the team that June for a $1.15 million signing bonus. Howard bypassed the Rookie League, being assigned to the Low–A Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York–Penn League. In his first season of professional baseball, Howard put up a 1–1 record with a 4.45 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 28+1⁄3 innings over nine starts. Williamsport pitching coach Hector Berrios spent the season improving Howard's pitching mechanics, making him and the rest of the rotation focus on the lower half of his body, a move which helped to stabilize Howard's velocity and preserve the health of his arm after each start.
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Spencer Howard
Spencer Lee Howard (born July 28, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Guardians, and in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Born in San Luis Obispo and raised in Templeton, California, Howard played baseball and volleyball at Templeton High School. He received no scholarship offers to play college baseball but joined the Cal Poly Mustangs after a tryout camp. Originally a relief pitcher, he joined the starting rotation in 2017.
The Phillies selected Howard in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft, and he made his major league debut in 2020. He was traded to the Rangers the next year. Howard struggled with injury and stamina throughout his major league career, and by 2023, he was primarily a Triple-A player. In 2025, Howard left MLB and joined the Golden Eagles on a one-year contract.
Spencer Lee Howard was born on July 28, 1996, in San Luis Obispo, California. He grew up in nearby Templeton, California, and was a multi-sport athlete at Templeton High School, playing baseball, volleyball, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee. Baseball was not Howard's athletic priority; he almost quit the team during his junior year in order to pursue volleyball, and he did not play on private travel teams like many other high school baseball players seeking to break into professional leagues. After being persuaded by his coach to remain on the baseball team, Howard helped take Templeton to the Los Padres League championship as a junior in 2014. At Templeton, Howard served as both a pitcher and an outfielder. During his senior season, Howard posted a 7–3 win–loss record, with a 2.20 earned run average (ERA), and he struck out 87 batters in 66+2⁄3 innings pitched. As a hitter, he also maintained a .306 batting average. At the end of the year, he was named both the San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year and the Los Padres League Most Valuable Player.
Having not received any scholarship offers to play college baseball, Howard chose to attend California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and major in business. In August 2015, before arriving at Cal Poly, Howard contacted the Mustangs baseball program and said that he was interested in playing for them. He impressed coaches at a fall tryout camp, pitching up to 88 mph (142 km/h), and was one of 35 players named to the team. Howard chose to redshirt his freshman year in order to put on more muscle mass. He took up a yoga-based athletic program, gained 10 pounds (4.5 kg), and improved his fastball speed from 86–87 mph (138–140 km/h) to above 90 mph (140 km/h).
The summer after his freshman year of college, Howard played collegiate summer baseball with the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League. Under the supervision of pitching coach Jim Clem, he spent the summer diversifying his pitching repertoire with a new breaking ball and changeup. Playing as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Howard served as a relief pitcher for the Mustangs, where he posted a 3–1 record and a 2.95 ERA, striking out 39 batters in 36+2⁄3 innings. Howard also recorded one save. In his 21 season appearances, Howard averaged more than 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Howard returned to Bellingham for another season of summer baseball in 2016. Most of his work with Clem that summer was in building his strength, in the hopes that he would become a starting pitcher. After a member of the Cal Poly starting rotation suffered an injury, Howard was called to fill in as a starting pitcher for the 2017 season. Partway through his redshirt sophomore season, Fangraphs named Howard the top overall draft-eligible pitcher, as well as the top starter, in the Big West Conference. He went 8–1 that season in 17 games, 12 of which were starts, with a 2.05 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 87+2⁄3 innings. MLB.com ranked Howard the 99th-best prospect in his draft class, while Baseball America ranked him 137th.
The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Howard in the second round, 45th overall, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He was the third-highest draft pick in Cal Poly history, and the highest that year. Howard signed with the team that June for a $1.15 million signing bonus. Howard bypassed the Rookie League, being assigned to the Low–A Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York–Penn League. In his first season of professional baseball, Howard put up a 1–1 record with a 4.45 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 28+1⁄3 innings over nine starts. Williamsport pitching coach Hector Berrios spent the season improving Howard's pitching mechanics, making him and the rest of the rotation focus on the lower half of his body, a move which helped to stabilize Howard's velocity and preserve the health of his arm after each start.