Wilbur Leon Howard (January 8, 1949 – December 17, 2022) was an American

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1973) and the Houston Astros (1974–1978). Howard was selected in the 19th round of the

1969 Major League Baseball Draft The 1969 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft took place prior to the 1969 MLB season. The draft featured future Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven (pick 55) and Dave Winfield (pick 882). First round selections The following are the first round picks ...

by the Seattle Pilots, who would move to Milwaukee and become the Brewers after the season. Howard played in the Brewers organization for the next four seasons, getting a September call-up in 1973, when he batted .205 in 39 at bats. The following spring, he was traded to the Astros in exchange for the star-crossed

Larry Yount Lawrence King Yount (born February 15, 1950) is a former professional baseball player. Yount (whose younger brother is Hall of Famer Robin Yount) shares the unique distinction of being one of two pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB) history t ...

and another minor leaguer. Howard started the season in the minor leagues, but was called up in mid-June, spending the rest of the season as the Astros' fourth outfielder. In , he remained in that role, although the Astros rotated their other outfielders ( Greg Gross,

César Cedeño César Cedeño Encarnación (born February 25, 1951) is a Dominican former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1970 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where ...

, and

José Cruz José Cruz Dilan (born August 8, 1947) nicknamed Cheo, is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player, coach and baseball front office executive. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1970 to 1988, most prominently a ...

) out of the lineup often enough that Howard played in 121 games, batting .283 with 32 stolen bases, which was eighth in the league and second on the team to Cedeño's 50. In , however, manager

Bill Virdon William Charles Virdon (June 9, 1931 – November 23, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Virdon played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates from 195 ...

moved Howard back into a more traditional fourth outfielder role, and he continued to serve in that capacity for three seasons. After spending in the minor leagues with the

Charleston Charlies The Charleston Charlies were a Triple-A minor league baseball team located in Charleston, West Virginia. Two separate Charlies franchises played in the International League from 1971 to 1983. The team was the relocated Columbus Jets. In 1977 the f ...

, Howard called it quits.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Wilbur 1949 births 2022 deaths Major League Baseball outfielders Houston Astros players Milwaukee Brewers players Baseball players from North Carolina African-American baseball players Charleston Charlies players Clinton Pilots players Denver Bears players Evansville Triplets players Newark Co-Pilots players Portland Beavers players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople People from Gaston County, North Carolina