Wilbur Leon Howard (January 8, 1949 – December 17, 2022[1]) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball 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 by the Seattle Pilots, who would move to Milwaukee and become the Brewers after the season.
The following spring, he was traded to the Astros in exchange for the star-crossed Larry Yount and another minor leaguer.
In 1975, he remained in that role, although the Astros rotated their other outfielders (Greg Gross, César Cedeño, and José Cruz) 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 1976, however, manager Bill Virdon moved Howard back into a more traditional fourth outfielder role, and he continued to serve in that capacity for three seasons.