2011 Chachi #58 Home Run Leaders - Ryan Howard & Raul Ibanez

While Ryan Howard's team-leading 33 home runs aren't necessarily bad, we're used to seeing a little better from The Big Piece.  Or are his 33 home runs becoming the new norm?  Consider his plate appearances and home run totals from the past six seasons, starting with his MVP campaign in 2006:

Year - Plate Appearances/Home Runs (Percentage)
2006 - 704/58 (8.24%)
2007 - 648/47 (7.25%)
2008 - 700/48 (6.86%)
2009 - 703/45 (6.40%)
2010 - 620/31 (5.00%)
2011 - 644/33 (5.12%)

That's not a pretty trend when you consider Howard is pencilled in as the team's main source of power until at least the 2016 season.  (His contract has a club option for 2017.)  Factor in that he'll be recovering from a ruptured achilles' tendon for at least the first part of 2012, and there's definitely some cause for concern.

The power numbers just weren't there in 2011, as evidenced by the team's top eleven in home runs:

1.  Ryan Howard - 33
2.  Raul Ibanez - 20
3.  Shane Victorino - 17
4.  Jimmy Rollins - 16
5.  John Mayberry, Jr. - 15
6.  Chase Utley - 11
6.  Hunter Pence - 11
8.  Carlos Ruiz - 6
8.  Ben Francisco - 6
10.  Placido Polanco - 5
10.  Domonic Brown - 5

We should see increases in Pence's and Mayberry's totals in 2012 as both should be with the club for the entire season.