Spencer Howard

Spencer Lee Howard (born July 28, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He was selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft.

Howard attended Templeton High School in Templeton, California, graduating in 2014. He played as an outfielder and pitcher on the Eagles’ baseball team. He batted .306 and compiled a 7–3 win-loss record and 2.20 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 66.2 innings as a senior, earning 2014 North San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year honors, and was named first-team All-San Luis Obispo County and the most valuable player in the Los Padres League. He then attended California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), where he played college baseball for the Cal Poly Mustangs. In 2017, he was 8–1 with a 2.05 ERA, and named a second team All American.

Howard was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round, with the 45th overall selection, of the 2017 MLB draft. He signed and made his professional debut with the Williamsport Crosscutters, going 1–1 with a 4.45 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched with 40 strikeouts (12.7 strikeouts per 9 innings).

In 2018, Howard pitched for the Lakewood BlueClaws of the Class A South Atlantic League, and threw a no-hitter during the postseason to send Lakewood to the championship round. In 23 total games started for Lakewood, he pitched to a 9–8 record with a 3.78 ERA, and 147 strikeouts (leading all Phillies minor leaguers) in 112 innings (11.8 strikeouts per 9 innings).

He began the 2019 season with the Clearwater Threshers of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. Playing for four teams in three leagues in 2019, in 15 starts he was 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA, as he struck out 94 batters in 71.0 innings (11.9 per 9 innings) while allowing 43 hits and 16 walks. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions following the season, with whom he made six starts and was 1-1 with a 2.11 ERA, as he struck out 27 batters in 21.1 innings.

He pitched for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12 tournament in November 2019.