Phillies’ slugging first baseman Ryan Howard has established himself as one of the best power hitters in baseball, but he does come with some baggage.

Track Record: Howard became only the third player in Major League history, joining Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa, to reach at least 45 homers in four straight seasons. In addition to homers owners can relish in the fact that he has also driven in an average of 139 runs during that span. Howard is a streaky player. When he's hot he can flat out carry a team, when he's not it tends to be rough to handle.

What he did last year: He continued to be a tremendous source of power, but also saw a big increase in his batting average, finishing with his best mark (.279) since his MVP season of 2006. He continued to struggle versus lefties though, hitting just .207 and six homers against southpaws.

What’s different this year?: Coming off a second straight World Series appearance, the Phillies stood pat in the off-season for the most part. However, the addition of veteran Placido Polanco at third base could affect Howard. Polanco, known as an above-average table setter, is slated to bat second in Philly’s lineup, two spots ahead of Howard. That should only help to boost the slugger’s production.

2010 Outlook: Howard has the potential to not only be an elite fantasy first baseman, but one of the best offensive weapons in the game. Scoring formats matter though. Leagues that penalize for strikeouts hurt his value a bit. Still he’s worth every bit of $30 in an auction and a pick in the first couple rounds of any fantasy draft.

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