Ed Howard (baseball)

Ed Howard
Free agent
Shortstop
Born: (2002-01-28) January 28, 2002
Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Stats at Baseball Reference 

Edward Vernell Howard IV (born January 28, 2002) is an American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. 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] He did not appear for the organization due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

Howard made his professional debut in 2021 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Low-A East.[17] Over eighty games, he slashed .225/.277/.315 with four home runs, 31 RBI, and seven stolen bases.[18] He missed over a month during the season due to a hamstring injury.[19] Howard opened the 2022 season with the South Bend Cubs of the High-A Midwest League.[20] He suffered a season-ending hip injury in May.[21] Howard batted .244 with one home run, 11 RBI and three stolen bases in 23 games.[22]

Howard's 2023 campaign was delayed as a result of the hip injury he suffered the previous year; in 45 games for South Bend, he batted .199/.239/.244 with two home runs, 14 RBI, and four stolen bases.[23] He split the 2024 season between South Bend and the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. In 112 appearances for the two affiliates, Howard slashed a cumulative .225/.281/.298 with two home runs, 27 RBI, and eight stolen bases.[24] He played only 21 games in 2025 due to injury. In 2026, he played 52 games between the Double-A Knoxville Smokies and Iowa, and hit .168 with two home runs. On August 29, 2026, Howard was released by the Cubs.[25]

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. 1 2 "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. ↑ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  17. ↑ Huang, Michael (August 3, 2021). "Scouting report: Cubs prospect Ed Howard". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Cubs Prospect Focus: Ed Howard". December 20, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Safe at home: Why ed Howard 'built for the pressure'". February 21, 2022.
  20. ↑ "The South Bend Cubs are back in town. What to know about the 2022 minor league season".
  21. ↑ "Ed Howard: Chicago Cubs prospect has significant hip injury". Chicago Tribune. May 15, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Cubs' Ed Howard: Done for season". CBSSports.com. RotoWire. May 18, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Everything is coming together once again for this Chicago Cubs prospect". southbendtribune.com. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  24. ↑ Birch, Tommy (September 14, 2024). "Ed Howard talks about his surprise promotion to Triple-A Iowa Cubs". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Transactions". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
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