"Has anyone noticed what Ryan Howard has been doing lately?

No, not striking out at his typically alarming rate, smart alec.

On a Philadelphia Phillies team bemoaning its shortage of offense, Howard led Major League Baseball with 35 runs batted in through Saturday.

It's just another monster year for the 31-year-old first baseman, who year-to-year has been one of the most consistent offensive forces in the game since he became a full-time player in 2006.

Yet there remains a significant portion of Phillies fans who -- admit it -- don't think the big guy does enough.

In context, however, his raw numbers aren't just impressive, they're striking. This year, with No. 3 hitter Chase Utley sidelined with a knee injury, Howard is as deadly as ever.

Not only is Howard carrying the Phillies' offense without any protection behind him in the order, he's doing it without any protection in front of him, either.

Contrary to popular belief, batters can offer protection to teammates behind them in the lineup. If there's a baserunner on first, for instance, the pitcher has a tougher time pitching around the batter because he doesn't want to walk a runner into scoring position. Or if there's a runner on third with less than two outs, the batter has multiple options for driving in the run."