David Howard

Who is David Howard?

David Wayne Howard, is field coordinator of minor league instruction for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball, and a former utility player in MLB who played from 1991 through 1999 for the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. Listed at 6 feet and 175 lb., he was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. His father, pitcher Bruce Howard, also played in the majors.

Howard was a solid utilityman, being able to play all infield and outfield positions, and also had the ability to serve as emergency pitcher. His most productive season came in 1996, when he posted career-numbers in games, runs, hits, extrabases and RBI, while hitting a .243 batting average. In a nine-season career, Howard was a .229 hitter with 11 home runs and 148 RBI in 645 games, including 169 runs, 57 doubles, 14 triples, and 23 stolen bases.

In 2004, he joined the Red Sox as a minor league coach in the Boston farm system before becoming a scout. He moved into their front office at the close of the 2007 season, spending 2008–09 as special assistant to Boston general manager Theo Epstein. He succeeded Rob Leary as field coordinator in 2010.