Nick Paul Howard (born April 16, 1993) is an American professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is a free agent. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He was drafted by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in the first round of the

2014 Major League Baseball Draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

and has pitched for the Reds organization in parts of 5 seasons. He also previously played for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

organization.

Career

Amateur

Howard attended St. John's College High School in Washington, DC. Howard was both a

and

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

. As a freshman in 2012, he appeared in 19 games as a relief pitcher and also had 52 at-bats in 26 games. As a pitcher he was 3–0 and had a 2.81

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 37

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

in innings. As a batter he hit .346/.435/.404. As a sophomore in 2013, he appeared in 13 games as a pitcher with 12 starts and 50 games as a batter. He was 6–4 with a 3.38 ERA and 52 strikeouts in innings. He hit .323/.344/.449 with three

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

. For his play, he was named first team All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

. As a junior in 2014, he took over as the Cavaliers' closer. He again was named All-ACC.

Cincinnati Reds

The

selected Howard in the first round, 19th overall, of the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

. Howard signed and was assigned to the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. In 2 ...

, where he spent his first professional season, posting a 2–1 record, 3.74 ERA, and a 1.16 WHIP in 33.2 innings. He returned to Dayton in 2015, but struggled; he pitched to a 6.63 ERA, giving up 28 runs in 38 innings. In 2016, he pitched for the

Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in 191 ...

, posting a 6.75 ERA in only 20 innings before an injury caused him to miss the rest of the season. Howard was also forced to miss 2017 due to the injury. He returned in 2018 and pitched for both Daytona and the

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

, pitching to a combined 3–4 record with a 5.13 ERA in 38 relief appearances between both teams. On June 23, 2019, the Reds released Howard.

Kansas City Royals

On August 13, 2019, Howard signed a minor league deal with the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

. He became a free agent following the 2019 season. On January 22, 2020, Howard re-signed with the Royals on a minor league contract. Howard did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He elected free agency on November 2, 2020.

Cincinnati Reds (second stint)

On March 12, 2021, Howard signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Howard spent the 2021 season with the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

and Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

. He made 42 appearances, going 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 51 strikeouts. Howard was released by the Reds organization on May 26, 2022, after struggling to a 10.80 ERA in 14 appearances for Triple-A Louisville.

York Revolution

On June 4, 2022, Howard signed with the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league, independent "partner lea ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. Howard made 22 appearances for York, pitching to a 3.91 ERA while striking out 27 in 23.0 innings of work.

Atlanta Braves

On November 18, 2022, Howard signed a minor league contract to return to the

organization. However, on February 2, 2023, Howard signed with the

Lake Country DockHounds The Lake Country DockHounds are a professional baseball team based in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The DockHounds played their first ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. Before the start of the American Association season, on February 14, Howard signed a minor league contract with the

organization and was assigned to the Triple-A

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

. In 16 appearances split between the High–A

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

and Double–A

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. T ...

, Howard accumulated a 3.92 ERA with 16 strikeouts across innings pitched. He was released by the Braves on July 10.

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Nick 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Maryland Baseball players from Maryland Virginia Cavaliers baseball players Dayton Dragons players Baseball pitchers People from Olney, Maryland Surprise Saguaros players Daytona Tortugas players St. John's College High School alumni