“I've never seen anyone in the major leagues who is treating the game almost like an oversized kid in the Little League World Series. Ryan actually is transcending the game. People are making him out to be America's hitter, the 'Mr. Clean' of home run hitting.”
—Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt

“Right at this moment in time, he might be more dangerous than Barry Bonds ever was in his prime”
—Schmidt

“I'm really proud of him. He can swing that thing, can't he? He's very good. The ball inside, he's learning to attack that thing. He'll learn as he goes, and he's very good right now.”
—Former Phillies star Dick Allen

“I've never seen anyone like him. I came up with the Stargells, the Murrays and the Parkers, but this kid is in a class by himself. They could hit homers down the line, but they didn't go from line to line like this guy.”
—1987 N.L. MVP Andre Dawson

“What really stands out about him is his ability to drive the ball the other way. You see a lot of power hitters who are pretty much pull only, but this guy is hitting them foul pole to foul pole.”
—Astros veteran Ty Wigginton

“The numbers speak for themselves. Who's close to him?”
—Phillies manager Charlie Manuel

“A guy like Howard definitely picks you up because he hits the ball out of the yard.”
—Manuel

“I'm glad he's on my side.”
—Teammate Shane Victorino

“He's got the ability to be a national figure.”
—Sports marketing specialist Robert Tuchman

“There's a changing of the guard with new young stars coming into baseball, and we feel that Ryan is the face of that group.”
—Topps spokesman Clay Luraschi