Ken Howell

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1984-1990)

Ken Howell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1990 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 7 seasons. Across 245 career appearances, he went 38-48 with a 3.95 ERA, 549 strikeouts, and 31 saves. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 8178.5.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 38–48
ERA 3.95
WHIP 1.32
SO 549
Pitcher PIV 8178.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 200 lb
Born
11/28/1960 in Detroit, MI, USA
Died
11/9/2018 in West Bloomfield, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1984-06-25
Last Game
1990-08-05

Full name: Kenneth Howell

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Career Pitching Statistics

Ken Howell — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
38 48 245 54 3 1 31 613.1 534 269 46 275 549 3.95 8178.5

Career ERA 3.95 vs. league average 3.90 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Howell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1984 LAN NL 5 5 32 1 0 0 6 51.1 51 19 9 54 3.33 3.81 (+13%) 2994.5
1985 LAN NL 4 7 56 0 0 0 12 86.0 66 36 35 85 3.77 3.89 (+3%) 1653.4
1986 LAN NL 6 12 62 0 0 0 12 97.2 86 42 63 104 3.87 3.97 (+3%) 926.9
1987 LAN NL 3 4 40 2 0 0 1 55.0 54 30 29 60 4.91 4.29 (-14%) 511.6
1988 LAN NL 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 12.2 16 9 4 12 6.39 3.73 (-71%) 607.0
1989 PHI NL 12 12 33 32 1 1 0 204.0 155 78 86 164 3.44 3.71 (+7%) 2977.1
1990 PHI NL 8 7 18 18 2 0 0 106.2 106 55 49 70 4.64 3.86 (-20%) -1492.0
Career · 7 seasons 38 48 245 54 3 1 31 613.1 534 269 275 549 3.95 — 8,179

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Ken Howell — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
245 114 3 9 3 0 0 3 1 3 49 .079 .110 .105 .215 -634

Career AVG .079 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 69.4% below league average.

Career OBP .110 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 66.0% below league average.

Career SLG .105 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 73.0% below league average.

Career OPS .215 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 69.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Howell — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1984 LAN NL 32 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 LAN NL 56 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 LAN NL 62 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 LAN NL 40 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
1988 LAN NL 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 PHI NL 33 65 0 6 2 0 0 1 0 2 25 .092 .254 (-64%) .319 (-59%) .375 (-67%) .694 (-63%) -634.1
1990 PHI NL 18 30 2 2 1 0 0 2 1 1 15 .067 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 245 114 3 9 3 0 0 3 1 3 49 .079 — — — — -634

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Ken Howell — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Ken Howell — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1985 NLCS LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Ken Howell — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 2 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Ken Howell — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1985 NLCS LAN 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 2 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (490 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Ken Howell — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home127543402.074
Away118600501.083

Pitching — Home / Away

Ken Howell — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home127313.22771341272593.84
Away118299.22571351482904.05

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ken Howell — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1990-08-05 PHIPITW 100000001
1990-07-31 PHISTLL 100000000
1990-07-05 PHICINL 000000000
1990-06-27 PHIPITL 300000001
1990-06-22 PHINYNL 000000000
1990-06-17 PHICHCL 200000002
1990-06-12 PHIWSNW 310000001
1990-06-07 PHICHCW 100000001
1990-06-02 PHINYNW 200000000
1990-05-28 PHISDPL 100000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Ken Howell — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1990-08-05 PHIPIT — 4.0654430
1990-07-31 PHISTL L 4.0544341
1990-07-05 PHICIN L 2.0665202
1990-06-27 PHIPIT L 8.0855281
1990-06-22 PHINYN L 1.2755100
1990-06-17 PHICHC — 7.0832110
1990-06-12 PHIWSN W 8.0722330
1990-06-07 PHICHC W 9.0511381
1990-06-02 PHINYN W 7.0733372
1990-05-28 PHISDP — 6.0844210

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ken Howell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 245 54 42 60 4 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ken Howell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1984 LAN P 32 1 6 6 0 0
1985 LAN P 56 0 7 11 1 0
1986 LAN P 62 0 5 7 1 0
1987 LAN P 40 2 5 5 0 0
1988 LAN P 4 1 0 1 0 0
1989 PHI P 33 32 13 19 0 2
1990 PHI P 18 18 6 11 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ken Howell — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 245

Salary History

Ken Howell's recorded salaries total $5,081,667 over 6 seasons, 1986 to 1992. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Howell's career ran from 1984 to 1990. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985 and 1987.

Ken Howell — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1992 PHI NL $2,000,000
1991 PHI NL $1,750,000
1990 PHI NL $716,667
1989 PHI NL $225,000
1988 LAN NL $215,000
1986 LAN NL $175,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $5,081,667

College History

Ken Howell — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Tuskegee University Tuskegee AL 1980, 1981, 1982

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Ken Howell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Junior Guerra
    31-25, 4.06 ERA
  2. 94
    David Phelps
    34-40, 3.80 ERA
  3. 89
    Dick Selma
    42-54, 3.62 ERA
  4. 89
    Archie Bradley
    30-29, 4.03 ERA
  5. 88
    Randall Delgado
    30-29, 4.10 ERA
  6. 88
    Sean Marshall
    37-46, 3.86 ERA

Ken Howell: the record in brief

June 25, 1984 and August 5, 1990 bracket Ken Howell's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Los Angeles Dodgers (1984 through 1988) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1989 through 1990). Howell played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on November 28, 1960, in Detroit, MI, USA, Howell was listed at 6 feet, 3 inches and 200 pounds. Howell's death is recorded on November 9, 2018, in West Bloomfield, MI, USA. Howell's full given name, per the bio, is Kenneth Howell.

Howell's career pitching line is 38 wins, 48 losses and a 3.95 ERA over 245 appearances. The same table counts 549 strikeouts and 31 saves. Howell's 3.95 ERA was close to the 3.90 league figure for those seasons. 1989 brought Howell a season-high 12 wins. The most saves in one season was 12, in 1985. 1989 was Howell's sharpest full season, a 3.44 ERA against the league's 3.71.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Howell

What years did Ken Howell play?
Ken Howell played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1990.
Was Ken Howell a pitcher?
Yes. Ken Howell pitched in the major leagues, recording 38 wins and 549 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ken Howell hit?
Ken Howell hit 0 career home runs with 9 hits.
What teams did Ken Howell play for?
Ken Howell played for 2 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1984–1988) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1990).
What were Ken Howell's career stats?
In 245 games, Ken Howell went 38-48 with a 3.95 ERA, 549 strikeouts, 613.1 innings pitched, and 31 saves.
How much did Ken Howell earn in his career?
Ken Howell's recorded salaries total $5,081,667 over 6 seasons, 1986 to 1992. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Howell's career ran from 1984 to 1990. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985 and 1987.
What was Ken Howell's salary?
Ken Howell's last recorded salary was $2,000,000, in 1992. His highest recorded salary was $2,000,000, in 1992, and his lowest was $175,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1992.
What position did Ken Howell play?
Ken Howell played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ken Howell and how much did he weigh?
Ken Howell was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Ken Howell's career ERA?
Ken Howell finished with a 3.95 career ERA, going 38-48 with 549 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Ken Howell have?
Ken Howell recorded 549 career strikeouts.
Is Ken Howell in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ken Howell has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.