Former Phillies Second-Round Pick Shines In First Start In Two Years

At one time Spencer Howard was the future of the Philadelphia Phillies, but now he’s found a groove with the San Francisco Giants.

Jun 8, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Spencer Howard (56) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — Former Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Spencer Howard made his first Major League start in two years when he started for the San Francisco Giants on Saturday against the Texas Rangers.

Howard looked like the pitcher the Phillies hoped he would become as he made his first start since Aug. 7, 2022.

Oddly enough, Howard’s start pitted him against his other former team, as he played for the Rangers from 2021-23 after Philadelphia traded him.

He was sharp, to say the least.

He threw 4.2 innings and gave up one earned run, which came on a RBI sacrifice fly by Texas first baseman Nathaniel Lowe in the first inning.

Howard allowed just three hits, scattered three walks and struck out two as he induced soft contact throughout the outing. He threw 74 pitches, 53 of which were strikes and left with a 3-1 lead.

The Giants called Howard up on May 28 due to a rash of injuries in their starting rotation and bullpen. Prior to the start, he put together two quality relief outings during which he had a 2.08 ERA in 8.2 innings, giving up nine hits. He struck out seven and walked none.

His first relief outing happened to be against the Phillies in Philadelphia. He threw four innings of scoreless ball in that game. He also pitched 4.1 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week.

The Phillies selected Howard in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft after he had a standout career at Cal Poly. While working his way through the their system, he threw the first no-hitter in Class-A Lakewood BlueClaws history.

He made his MLB debut with Philadelphia during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, during which he went 1-2 with a 5.92 ERA. He made 11 starts with the Phillies in 2021, going 0-2 with a 5.72 ERA before he was traded to the Rangers in a deal that netted Philadelphia several players, including starter Kyle Gibson.

He was a spot starter for Texas in 2022 when he went 2-4 with a 7.41 ERA in 10 games (eight starts). In 2023 Howard began the season hurt and was ultimately traded by the Rangers in late-July after giving up four earned runs in 3.1 innings.

The New York Yankees acquired Howard but he lasted a month at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before his release. The Giants picked him up in late September and stashed him in the minors.