PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Howard joked he may resort to stealing bases to cut down on his intentional walks next season.

Despite seeing fewer pitches to hit down the stretch, Howard still managed to have an incredible season at the plate and became the second player voted Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in consecutive years.

Howard almost single-handedly thrust the Philadelphia Phillies into playoff contention after a midseason roster purge, and finished with a .313 average, 58 homers and 149 RBI. The All-Star first baseman walked 108 times, including 33 intentional passes. He didn't go deep in the final nine games and walked 11 times in that span.

"Being the competitor I am, you want to go out there and try to get hits," Howard said after beating out 2005 NL MVP Albert Pujols for the award Monday. "When teams take the bat out of your hands, it's a little tough, but that's when you hope the rest of your team can come in and pick you up."

A soft-spoken big man with an even bigger swing, Howard's season defied convention. Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams and countless other Hall of Famers didn't have as many homers or RBI in their second full years.

After leading the major leagues in both categories, Howard received 20 first-place votes and 12 seconds for 388 points in balloting by a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Pujols got 12 firsts, 19 seconds and one third for 347 points.

Cal Ripken Jr. (1982 and 1983) is the only other player to follow a Rookie of the Year award with an MVP the following year. Two players won both in the same year: Fred Lynn (1975) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001).

"I heard sophomore jinx this, sophomore jinx that," said Howard, who turned 27 on Sunday. "I just prepared myself in spring training to go out and perform, stick with my game plan and have fun."

Howard had the most homers in the majors since Barry Bonds hit a record 73 in 2001. He set Phillies records for home runs and RBIs. Twenty-three of Howard's homers put Philadelphia ahead and five tied games. The Phillies went 32-18 when he homered.