* Michael Bowden *

[AnibalJonJon]

http://www.soxprospects.com/players/images/michaelbowden.jpg
Age: 19
Born: September 9, 1986
Aurora, Ill
Height: 6-3
Weight: 215
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 1st round, 2005
How Acquired: Draft
High School: Waubonsie Valley HS (Ill)
ETA: 2009

According to soxprospects.com:

Scouting Report: Bowden has an arsenal of four MLB caliber pitches: a low-90s fastball which tops out at 95, a 12-6 hard breaking curve, a tight slider, and a plus circle changeup. Bowden is said to be a workaholic and just loves to pitch - another player who just lives and dies for baseball. Very athletic. Absolutely dominated high school competition in 2005. Delivery is not as smooth as it could be. High ceiling.

He didn't pitch much this year but here are his stats ...

Name W L ERA G GS CG SHO GF SV TBF IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG BK WP HB
M Bowden 1 0 0.00 3 1 0 0 0 0 19 4.0 4 0 0 0 3 7 .267 0 0 0

[AnibalJonJon]

Interview:



Interview:

An 6-foot 3-inch 215-pound righthander from Aurora, Illinois, Michael Bowden was the 47th overall selection in the 2005 draft. Taken by the Red Sox as a supplemental pick after the first round as compensation for Derek Lowe signing with the Dodgers, the 18-year-old Bowden was rated by Baseball America as having the third-best breaking ball among high school pitchers. We talked to Mike about his curveball, his favorite Norman Rockwell cover, and a notable Mother's Day gift.



RSN: You started your professional career in the Gulf Coast League, going six scoreless innings in four games. Why didn't you pitch more than that?

MB: I probably overthrew a bit in high school, and my MRI showed a little inflammation. I also had a pretty long break before signing, and the Red Sox had me doing some strengthening before they even let me get on the mound. Then I had two more weeks on the throwing program before I pitched in a game. And even before the MRI, I was told that I wouldn't be going more than two innings at a time. My arm feels good, but I guess they wanted to be cautious.

RSN: Overuse is always a concern when drafting pitchers. How much of a concern do you feel there should be with you?

MB: I threw a lot of innings, but I was never abused. I’d say I threw over 100 pitches in a game twice…maybe three times. The most I ever went in a game was around 115. I think my arm is healthy.

RSN: Your Baseball America draft bio said your delivery is a little unorthodox. What were they referring to?

MB: I've never really had a pitching coach, and have always just gone with what feels natural…what feels best. Unorthodox seems a bit…oh, man, I don't know. I throw over the top, but I guess I'm not smooth. I'm a little herky-jerky, but personally, it's been working. Some people say a few tweaks might increase my velocity. But so far they haven't changed anything. They're just making a few suggestions and letting me be me.

RSN: You're known for having an excellent curveball. What can you tell us about that?

MB: I really just started throwing it this year. It's a 12-to-6…a hard, fast-breaking curve. Sometimes I muscle it up too much, trying to throw it too hard. That causes it to break into the dirt, which I'm trying to keep from doing. I'm also trying to tighten it up a little. Still, Goose Gregson, the pitching coordinator here, told me that maybe five guys in the big leagues have a curve like mine. That makes me feel pretty good.

RSN: You didn't throw it before this season?

MB: I started throwing it going into my senior year. Before that I threw a slider and change-up.

RSN: Do you still throw a slider?

MB: I do, although I haven't thrown it down here. I think it's pretty tight, and it has a good break. It's not on a straight plane. I do drop my arm-slot a little with it, but I have a lot of confidence in it and used it as an out pitch before I started throwing the curve. You know, it seems like everyone has been going to the slider the last few years. The curve is becoming kind of a lost art.

RSN: What about your change-up?

MB: That's been an out pitch for me, too. It's kind of a modified circle-change, and works well off of my fastball.

RSN: How would you describe your fastball, including velocity?

MB: I throw it between 91 and 93, and have hit 95. I throw both a 2 and a 4-seamer, and get a pretty late cut on it.

RSN: Do you see yourself as a starter only, or could you imagine becoming a closer some day? Do you have what people refer to as a closer's mentality?

MB: I've been asked that, and sure…I'm up to anything. As for the mentality, oh yeah…I'd fit that perfectly. I've always looked at myself as a starter with a closer's mentality.

RSN: Are you aggressive on the mound, thinking "I can blow this guy away," or are you more cerebral, thinking, "He did this last time, so now I want to…"?

MB: I'm not a finesse guy, but it's never just blow it by someone. It's all about pitching. Hitting spots is more important, and fortunately I'm usually able to hit them while throwing pretty hard.

RSN: What is your opinion on radar guns?

MB: They don't really matter to me. Whether you're throwing 80 or 90, an out is an out. I don't ever come off the mound and ask how hard I was throwing.

RSN: You're said to be very athletic. What positions did you play when you weren't pitching, and how much will you miss hitting?

MB: My senior year, I played everything but second base, catcher, and centerfield. Wherever they needed me…that's where I played. As for hitting, yeah, I'm going to miss it. I hit .500 with seven home runs, so I've been pretty good with the bat. I'm honored to play for the Red Sox, but I'd have loved going to a National League team so I could still hit.

RSN: Did you grow up rooting for the Cubs, or were you a White Sox fan?

MB: The Cubs. I'll watch the Sox when they're on, but it's the Cubs for me.

RSN: Any opinions on Steve Bartman?

MB: Bartman. Man, they beat him up so much. But I don't blame him for what happened. Plus, everybody would have done the same thing. People shouldn't kid themselves by saying they wouldn't reach for a foul ball into the stands.

RSN: Did you play other sports in high school?

MB: I played football until I was a sophomore, but stopped for baseball. I also played basketball -- I was a forward -- and was the second leading scorer on the team. Our leading scorer was pretty good. He went to Northern Iowa on a full scholarship.

RSN: I read a story about you regarding Mother's Day and a driveway -- one that could have impacted your standing in the draft. Tell us about that.

MB: We live down a gravel road, and it had a lot of potholes. My mom always has us do chores on Sunday, so we decided to fill them. It took all day, and I didn't realize how much work it would be. I was still sore on Tuesday for my next game, and my velocity was way down. That really hurt me a lot, because the scouts didn't know what was up. Fortunately, I had an opportunity to show them more after that game.

RSN: The Red Sox have a reputation of going after predominantly college players. Were you surprised when they drafted you?

MB: As the season progressed, they showed a lot of interest. They gave me some pretty good hints that they were after me, so no, I wasn't surprised. I told friends that it would probably be the Red Sox. As a matter of fact, there's this Norman Rockwell picture of three Red Sox rookies walking into the clubhouse carrying suitcases. A couple of my friends got me a picture of it, with "Bowden" written on one of the suitcases.

RSN: Are you aware of the Cubs’ having had any interest in you?

MB: I pretty much knew it wouldn't be the Cubs because of where they were drafting. They picked too high in the first round, and then I probably wasn't going to last until their next pick. So no, I knew they weren't going to be taking me.

RSN: In a perfect case scenario, who do you make your Major League debut against?

MB: I'm facing the Yankees. That's where it's at.

RSN: You're pitching in the Gulf Coast League, which consists of noon games in the Florida sun with almost no fans. Today, in the last regular season game, you clinched a playoff berth. What was that like?

MB: It's kind of…well, every day it's kind of repetitive down here. But today, with the playoffs on the line, there was a lot of energy on the bench. It was nice to see, because it's always more fun when you're playing for something.

RSN: Two more. Tell us something about yourself that most of don't know.

MB: I can sing along to anything, but it's not something I'll do in public. I pretty much have stage fright unless I'm on the mound. I can pitch in front of thousands of people, but I can't give a speech in class.

RSN: Last one: Has it really hit you yet that you're playing professional baseball?

MB: I think so. But where it will really hit me is once I'm in Fenway Park. I haven't been there yet, but I did get to go into the clubhouse and on the field when the Red Sox were at Wrigley Field. The team brought me down there, and I got to meet a lot of the guys. I talked to Theo for a long time, and also met Damon, Millar, Tek, Ortiz...a few others. Ortiz called me a big guy. Man, that was pretty funny, having him say that. It was an awesome experience just to be there.


Link: http://www.redsoxnation.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=17834&

[AnibalJonJon]

According to Baseball America ...


• Michael Bowden rocketed up draft boards this spring with an awe-inspiring senior season at Waubonsie Valley High in Aurora, Ill., and has pitched admirably, if briefly, since signing with the Red Sox for $730,000. The lean righthander made his fourth appearance in the GCL Thursday and walked one of the seven batters he faced in two shutout innings. Bowden has not allowed a run in six innings overall. Australian lefty Tim Cox followed Bowden with 6 1/3 overpowering innings, picking up the win to improve to 3-1, 2.19. The 19-year-old Cox has 56 strikeouts and seven walks in 49 innings in his rookie season.

[CrespoBlows]

Bowden should be a good pitcher in the future. He won't be ready for another 4 years, but he'll be pretty good.

Anyway, that scouting report is wrong. Bowden throws a fastball that will surpass 95 in the future, but it currently tops out around 92 mph. Check out his scouting video on MLB.com not one of them hits higher than 92. Bowden also fires a two seam fastball, that breaks over the plate against RH batters, and tails away from LH hitters. It's a similar pitch that Chan Ho Park throws (one of his better two seamers) He throws a curve, and a change as well.

[ORS]

Bowden started the year off in Greenville's (A) rotation.

4/9 vs. Columbus


IP H R ER K BB ERA

5.0 3 0 0 6 1 0.00

[jsinger121]

Bowden struggled tonight giving up 7 runs on 8 hits while striking out 3.

[jsinger121]

Bowden's line against Kannapolis today

5 IP 1 H 0 R 9 K

[ksushi]

If anyone can show me where i can find this scouting video on bowden i would really appreciate it.

[Cityofchampions33]

Bowden's line against Kannapolis today

5 IP 1 H 0 R 9 K

9 k's in 5 innings aint bad at all

[jsinger121]

9 k's in 5 innings aint bad at all

He did face the worst team in the South Atlantic League though. But he is still a very promising prospect.

[jsinger121]

Bowden 5ip 2h 0r bb 10k hbp in tonights start

[jsinger121]

Bowden - 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HRA - 7 ground balls to 4 flyballs in tonight's start

[example1]

I didn't see any Michael Bowden video on mlb.com. If it truly exists will someone post a link to it please?

[jsinger121]

Michael Bowden pitches against Hickory tonight.

[jsinger121]

Bowden done after 3 2/3. 7 h, 5 r, 2 earned, 6 k, 1 bb.

[jsinger121]

Michael Bowden pitches against Lexington tonight

[jsinger121]

Bowden is cruising: 4ip, 0H, 2bb, 7K still pitching

[jsinger121]

4.1 3H 3ER 3BB 8K's for Bowden tonight

[jsinger121]

Through 4 innings so far for Bowden

5H 3R 2ER 0BB 4K's

[jsinger121]

Bowden's day is done

5innings 7H 5R 4ER 4k's 0BB 1HR

[ORS]

He seems to have a trend of giving up a gopher ball as he tires in his last inning. Build up that stamina, kid.

[jsinger121]

Bowden's line for the night

W, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 0 HR

[example1]

Bowden's line for the night

W, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 0 HR

I like everything I've read about this kid. Does anyone know where video of him is available?

[jsinger121]

7/1 GB/FB too in his start tonight

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

The last game Bowden pitched:

W, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

[NateGrey]

I like everything I've read about this kid. Does anyone know where video of him is available?

mlb.com>2005 draft

[jsinger121]

Michael Bowden will take his 64/9 K/BB ratio into this afternoon's start against Asheville.

[NateGrey]

Bowden's last start vs Lexington =

5ip , 1h , 0r , 1bb , 5k

[ksushi]

That is a nice start from the kid. I like this kid a lot. I like his stuff and everything i've read about his make up. I might be a little too eager, but how about a promotion for him to see how he responds. Put him up in AA, that would be a nice way to put the yankees back. Not only do we have great prospects producing at the major league level, but we've also got a 19 year old pitching in AA and more position players. I'd like that at least.

But seriously, a lot of playing in boston depends on how you respond to failure. I've read from more than a few places that this kid has a major league quality curve with a good mid-low 90's FB. That alone is good stuff, I know he has another pitch but it escapes me right now at like 9 in the AM. If his stuff is that good, lets test his resilience a little bit. Throw him in AA. If he runs with it, its safe to say we have another great prospect on our hands. If he fails, we demote him and we can get a look at what kind of resilience he has. If he crumbles, it wasn't meant to be. If he bounces back, then let him get some more A ball experience and give him a look next year.

Too premature?

[jsinger121]

That is a nice start from the kid. I like this kid a lot. I like his stuff and everything i've read about his make up. I might be a little too eager, but how about a promotion for him to see how he responds. Put him up in AA, that would be a nice way to put the yankees back. Not only do we have great prospects producing at the major league level, but we've also got a 19 year old pitching in AA and more position players. I'd like that at least.

But seriously, a lot of playing in boston depends on how you respond to failure. I've read from more than a few places that this kid has a major league quality curve with a good mid-low 90's FB. That alone is good stuff, I know he has another pitch but it escapes me right now at like 9 in the AM. If his stuff is that good, lets test his resilience a little bit. Throw him in AA. If he runs with it, its safe to say we have another great prospect on our hands. If he fails, we demote him and we can get a look at what kind of resilience he has. If he crumbles, it wasn't meant to be. If he bounces back, then let him get some more A ball experience and give him a look next year.

Too premature?

The Red Sox are not the Yankees and will never promote Bowden to AA ball. If anything he might get a promotion to Wilmington but the Sox never rush their pitching prospects through the minors. It would be foolish to move Bowden who barely pitch in 2005 in the GCL and is in his first full season of minor league ball to rush him up to Portland. I would not be surprised if they just kept Bowden in Greenville for the entire year.

[ORS]

I think they should/will give him a handful of starts in Wilmington to end the year. That's pretty common practice with a prospect who is handling the levels fine. Give him a taste of what he'll be doing the next year.

[ksushi]

Ok I apologise.

[DUSTINMOHR4LIFE]

this guy is great. It seems like in every start he strikes out at least a batter per inning

[jsinger121]

He could be a good one but he is still in Low A ball

[DUSTINMOHR4LIFE]

Bowden has only given up two earned runs in his last 26 innings

[jsinger121]

Bowden has only given up two earned runs in his last 26 innings

And that is the reason he is now the Red Sox #1 pitching prospect.

[Rdsxmbnt]

good outing today 5.0IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 5K, 0HR

[ORS]

And that is the reason he is now the Red Sox #1 pitching prospect.
IMO, he's a one-year younger Philip Hughes. Same good FB. Same big hook. Same dominance/control (K/BB ) ability. Yankee fans have been touting Hughes as the gem of their system for awhile now, and I love the fact that the Sox have graduated 4 MLB pitchers this year (Paps, Lester, MDC, Hansen), and they still have someone with Hughes ability waiting in the wings. I also love the fact that he has flown under the radar up to this point. That won't last long though. He'll probably make the top-100 list next year.

[jsinger121]

IMO, he's a one-year younger Philip Hughes. Same good FB. Same big hook. Same dominance/control (K/BB ) ability. Yankee fans have been touting Hughes as the gem of their system for awhile now, and I love the fact that the Sox have graduated 4 MLB pitchers this year (Paps, Lester, MDC, Hansen), and they still have someone with Hughes ability waiting in the wings. I also love the fact that he has flown under the radar up to this point. That won't last long though. He'll probably make the top-100 list next year.

He doesn't have Hughes size but could be just as good. Both Hughes and Bowden were 19 in the SAL. The Yanks have been aggressive with Hughes and I think the Sox will not do the same with Bowden.

[ORS]

He doesn't have Hughes size but could be just as good. Both Hughes and Bowden were 19 in the SAL. The Yanks have been aggressive with Hughes and I think the Sox will not do the same with Bowden.
Really? You think they've been aggressive? I don't. I think they've been pretty cautious. He only came out of low-A after dominating it for 4 months to get a taste of high-A for a month. Then, the next year, he started in high-A and dominated for a month before being move to AA. That sounds like very reasonable treatment. To be honest, I'll be upset if Bowden isn't testing his stuff against high-A hitters by the end of this year.

EDIT: Oh, and Hughes is 2" and 5 lbs. bigger. Do you really think that is significant? Both have the type of build you want in a power pitcher.

[jsinger121]

Really? You think they've been aggressive? I don't. I think they've been pretty cautious. He only came out of low-A after dominating it for 4 months to get a taste of high-A for a month. Then, the next year, he started in high-A and dominated for a month before being move to AA. That sounds like very reasonable treatment. To be honest, I'll be upset if Bowden isn't testing his stuff against high-A hitters by the end of this year.

EDIT: Oh, and Hughes is 2" and 5 lbs. bigger. Do you really think that is significant? Both have the type of build you want in a power pitcher.


I agree it will be a disappointment if Bowden doesn't get a High A cup of coffee this year. Also I have heard that Hughes is much bigger than he is listed at and is in the 230-240 range. Bowden I think is now up between 220 and 225 still great size for a starting pitcher.

[NateGrey]

Where can we watch recent video clips of Bowden Jsinger?

[jsinger121]

Where can we watch recent video clips of Bowden Jsinger?

see if MILB.com has any.

[DUSTINMOHR4LIFE]

isnt hughes in AAA right now?

[jsinger121]

isnt hughes in AAA right now?

He is pitching for the AA Trenton Thunder.

[jsinger121]

Another day at the office for Michael Bowden

Bowden's final line: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 6 SO, 0 BB, 8 ground outs, 1 fly out

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

You mentioned to me before that this kid is becoming untouchable.....I'm really starting to agree with you

[Cityofchampions33]

Man, just when I thought all our major pitching prospects are already in teh majors, we got a whole otehr batch coming up. Though his ETA seems late for his success, what does he have to work on? his delivery?

[CrespoBlows]

Man, just when I thought all our major pitching prospects are already in teh majors, we got a whole otehr batch coming up. Though his ETA seems late for his success, what does he have to work on? his delivery?

He's 19. They can take time with him.

[jsinger121]

Just got off the phone with the Greenville Drive. The reason they are skipping Buchholz is to keep his innings down. They are going to do the same with Michael Bowden next week. This per Eric from the Greenville Drive Media Relations Department.

[jsinger121]

Bowden 5IP 2H 1ER 3K 1BB 7/5 GO/FO last night against Charleston

[jsinger121]

Michael Bowden has been promoted to Wilmington to start on Saturday against Lynchburg. I got the info from a source close to the Blue Rocks. Saturday is Bowden's turn in the rotation and as of right now no starter is listed on the Wilmington game notes.

[example1]

Do you know of ANY clips of this guy jsinger? The only one I've found were from the draft day 05. He and Clay and Jacoby all have me salavating.

"mmmmm, pitching aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhghhhghghhgg"

[jsinger121]

Do you know of ANY clips of this guy jsinger? The only one I've found were from the draft day 05. He and Clay and Jacoby all have me salavating.

"mmmmm, pitching aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhghhhghghhgg"

That I don't have. But Bowden and Buchholz are the 2 top pitching prospects in the system and if we keep getting performances like we saw from Buchholz tonight slowly these guys will become untouchables in my eyes.

[riverside sluggers]

That I don't have. But Bowden and Buchholz are the 2 top pitching prospects in the system and if we keep getting performances like we saw from Buchholz tonight slowly these guys will become untouchables in my eyes.

I heard Sean MacAdams say that its like he's having deja vu seeing the 2 of them pitch: it wasnt that long ago he saw Papelbon & Lester cruising thru the minor league system together

[riverside sluggers]

Michael Bowden followed suit and had a solid start in the playoffs for Wilmington


Line for Bowden's Wilmington playoff start:
5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 Ks, 2 BBs

[ORS]

4-5 vs Bakersfield

5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

Zero ER with a HR means it must have come after a two-out error.

[riverside sluggers]

Bowden followed up with another good start tossing 5 innings, allowing 4 Hits, 2 Runs, walking 1, striking out 5

2 games, 1.80 ERA
10 innings, 9 Hits 5 Runs (2 ER), 1 HR, 3 Walks, 10 Ks

[jacksonianmarch]

I still think Bowden will be in the sox rotation vs Buchholz. Bowden sounds more polished at a younger age.

[NateGrey]

..
M.Bowden vs Rancho Cucamonga(5/2/07) .

6ip , 5h , 0r , 0er , 0bb , 6k , 0.78era


.. :thumbsup: ..

[CrespoBlows]

This is in Lancaster too.

[Rdsxmbnt]

6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K today for Bowden

[example1]

Yawn. Move the kid to Portland.

[Anuj09]

id like to see the K's go up. Good control otherwise.

[example1]

37 K in 33 IP this season. He's had 9 K's in 2 of his 7 starts.

[riverside sluggers]

Bowden on baseball america's prospect hot sheet


12. Michael Bowden, rhp, high Class A Lancaster (Red Sox)

Another Red Sox prospect who is making batters earn their way on base, Bowden struck out 13 without issuing a walk in 12 innings last week. The 20-year-old allowed 11 hits and didn't give up a run. Bowden has a 1.62 ERA and 41 strikeouts vs. 7 walks in 39 innings.

[Rdsxmbnt]

Bowden Home/Away splits (to give everyone an idea how dominant hes been):

Home: 27.1 IP, 27 hits, 7 ER, 6 BB, 27 K, 1 HR, 2.30 ERA
Away: 11.2 IP, 7 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 14 K, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA

Now the thing about pitching in Lancaster is that its an extreme hitters environment (stevece called it coors-like over on netsports). The fact that hes given up only 1 HR is great and hes dominated even more so on the road away from Lancaster (as well as in Lancaster)

[ORS]

Calling it Coors-like doesn't even touch the surface.

Location| R | H | 2B | HR | BB | K
Colorado|1.34|1.22|1.22|1.24|1.08|0.92
Lancaster|1.19|1.20|0.96|1.64|1.18|1.19

These are 3-year weighted for 2003-2005. Link (http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/oracle/discussion/weighted_park_factors_2003_2005/)

That place is a launching pad. The 3rd worst park factor of every park in professional baseball over that time.

[example1]

Calling it Coors-like doesn't even touch the surface.

Location| R | H | 2B | HR | BB | K
Colorado|1.34|1.22|1.22|1.24|1.08|0.92
Lancaster|1.19|1.20|0.96|1.64|1.18|1.19

These are 3-year weighted for 2003-2005. Link (http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/oracle/discussion/weighted_park_factors_2003_2005/)

That place is a launching pad. The 3rd worst park factor of every park in professional baseball over that time.

I guess that eliminates the possibility that Stevece and ORS are the same person. :lol:

They're both pretty sharp! Good table ORS.

[NateGrey]

..

M.Bowden vs San Jose(5/12/07) .

7ip , 1h , 0r , 0er , 1bb , 5k , 1.37era




..

[riverside sluggers]

Damn... 8 starts (2-0, 1.37 ERA)
46 innings, 35 Hits, 10 Runs (7 ER), 1 HR, 8 Walks, 46 Ks

Bucholz/Bowden combined stats
14 starts (3-1, 1.58 ERA)
80 innings, 57 Hits, 18 Runs (14 ER), 4 HRs, 12 Walks, 92 Ks

[Rdsxmbnt]

And Bowden is on his way to Portland, congrats Michael

[Anuj09]

And Bowden is on his way to Portland, congrats Michael

really? where did you here that ?

[mouthbreather]

really? where did you here that ?

soxprospects.com

[NateGrey]

And Bowden is on his way to Portland, congrats Michael


.. Youngest pitcher in the EL .. Congrats Michael .. :thumbsup: ..

[castigs850]

the real B's back together again. hope the transition goes smoothly for bowden

[example1]

That's pretty remarkable. It is probably the right place for him.

None (few) of us have actually seen him play, but his numbers, his reputation and his performance appear to be accurate: he is extremely well developed for his age.

[Rdsxmbnt]

Id really love to see Bowden and Buchholz pitch, ill have to go to a Portland @ NH Fishercats game this summer where one pitches since thats the nearest Eastern AA team.

EDIT: Buchholz

[Coco's Disciples]

Id really love to see Bowden and Ellsbury pitch, ill have to go to a Portland @ NH Fishercats game this summer where one pitches since thats the nearest Eastern AA team.

I think you mean Buchholz not Ellsbury.

[Rdsxmbnt]

I think you mean Buchholz not Ellsbury.

lol wow :lol:

[Rdsxmbnt]

Bowdens first start in AA:

5IP, 2H, 1ER, 2 BB, 5 K

The hit (and ER) sounded like it should have been caught. But he topped out at 95 MPH tonight and from the radio broadcast he sounded really good.


And his next start is against none other than Roger Clemens

[castigs850]

And his next start is against none other than Roger Clemens

you think there is any chance of that getting televised? you know it would get viewers

[Rdsxmbnt]

Bowden this morning: 4.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 Ks

just didnt have his control today

[Anuj09]

no earned runs shows that he could get out of a jam - hes got balls.

[CrespoBlows]

no earned runs shows that he could get out of a jam - hes got balls.

Or he was lucky.

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

Or he was lucky.

Nice to know he can get lucky...some guys can never buy a break

[Rdsxmbnt]

Today:

5.2 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 Ks (both runs came in the 1st inning)

The 0 walks and 6 Ks are certainly encouraging.

[Rdsxmbnt]

Great bounce-back outing for Bowden tonight: 6.2, 3 hits, ER, 2 BB, 8 K

All hits were singles, and the 1 run came on an error.

[schillingouttheks]

Then doesn't he have 0 ER?

[Rdsxmbnt]

Im not really good with earned and unearned runs, but a guy got a basehit, stole 2nd and then the SS committed an error that allowed the run to score. So I think because there wasnt 2 outs its earned

[jacksonianmarch]

Bowden is certainly having a rough beginning to his AA days. His ERA is approaching 5, his K/9IP are way down, his BB rate had more than doubled and his BAA is way up since his promotion. He is 20 in AA, so cut him a break, but I think the pedal needs to be eased back a bit. And unless he starts to dominate by the end of the yr, a repeat of AA might be in order for next season.

[BSN07]

I am sure he will spend the rest of this season, all of next season and the beginning of the following season in AA. No reason to bring him up to AAA before hes 23. Maybe the end of next season, but no sooner. A good season and a bit in AA will be good for him for development sake.

With Beckett,Matsuzaka,Lester, and Buchholz likely to hold down the rotation for the next few years( barring injury, trade, ect). Theres only going to be 1 avaialbe spot in the rotation, likely to be filled by a Veteran. Bowden might claim the spot, but he might also become expendable in the right trade.

Just throwing this out there, but say the Fish Hold on to Miggy until next season, Maybe the Sox( who will be looking for a 3B to replace Lowell, or an OF to eventually replace Manny) Put a package together front lined by Bowden. If he has a good year this year, and next at AA his value will be exttremely hi. Not sure who else you include, by any package involving Bowden to start is nice.

[example1]

Is Wade Miller a good comparison for Bowden? They both had strong fastballs (before Miller got hurt) and an unorthodox delivery. They are both big, strong righties with some nice secondary stuff.

Do people think that Bowden can be a healthy version of Wade Miller?

[riverside sluggers]

I am sure he will spend the rest of this season, all of next season and the beginning of the following season in AA. No reason to bring him up to AAA before hes 23. Maybe the end of next season, but no sooner. A good season and a bit in AA will be good for him for development sake.

With Beckett,Matsuzaka,Lester, and Buchholz likely to hold down the rotation for the next few years( barring injury, trade, ect). Theres only going to be 1 avaialbe spot in the rotation, likely to be filled by a Veteran. Bowden might claim the spot, but he might also become expendable in the right trade.

Just throwing this out there, but say the Fish Hold on to Miggy until next season, Maybe the Sox( who will be looking for a 3B to replace Lowell, or an OF to eventually replace Manny) Put a package together front lined by Bowden. If he has a good year this year, and next at AA his value will be exttremely hi. Not sure who else you include, by any package involving Bowden to start is nice.

For some reason, I have a strong feeling that Bowden will be part of a package in the offseason for Mark Teixeira

[Rdsxmbnt]

Pretty good start today: 5 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Over his last two starts: 10.2 IP, 11 hits, 3 BB, 14 K, 2.52 ERA

[ORS]

Domination from Bowden today vs. Binghamton.

6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K

Brought his season ERA down to 3.70.

[ORS]

Another 6 strong innings from Bowden last night.

6.0 IP, 4 H , 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Season

IP|H|R|ER|HR|BB|K|BABIP|K/9|BB/9|HR/9|H/9|FIP*|ERA
30.1|25|13|11|2|11|35|.319|10.39|3.26|0.59|7.42|2. 84|3.26

*For FIP, I just went with the 11 BB shown on his MiLB page. They don't list HBP and IBB.

[BoSox21]

he's definitely adjusting nicely to AA now. good for him

[Rdsxmbnt]

another great start: 6.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

season: 36.2 IP, 26 hits, 12 BB, 38 K, 2.69 ERA

[CrespoBlows]

Could we see him at Pawtucket at the end of the year?

[ORS]

Could we see him at Pawtucket at the end of the year?
Tough call right now, IMO. Last year he started off gangbusters in the hitters' paradise of Lancaster and struggled a bit when bumped up to AA at a young age. Perhaps they show a little more caution before promoting him this time and see if he can sustain what he's doing deeper into the year. Of course, if he's hit his developmental milestones then he could be moved up sooner rather than later.

[Rdsxmbnt]

Another gem: 7.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Season: 54.2 IP, 36 hits, 14 BB, 53 K, 2.47 ERA

Also Bard pitched: 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Season (in AA): 5.0 IP, 2 hit, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

[ksushi]

Bowden owned today. 6.2 0ER 5/2 K/BB. Brings his ERA for may down to 1.22. 2.20 overall on the season. My friends at school were down on him coming into this year, and I'm glad I stuck to my guns, makes me look like I know stuff. He learned a lot and took a lot from his beatings last year. He'll be in pawtucket making noise soon.

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

Future ace with another great game:

Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Bowden 6.2 3 1 1 0 6 0 2.12

[CrespoBlows]

Future ace with another great game:

Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Bowden 6.2 3 1 1 0 6 0 2.12

I'd wait with the future ace claims.

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

I'd wait with the future ace claims.

I'm good with it....but whatever you say big shot

[ksushi]

I'd wait with the future ace claims.

Can't argue with his potential right now. Results like these come from good pitchers. He is very young too. Ahead (age wise) of every pitcher to come through our organization thus far, and putting up some pretty elite numbers. I mean, I guess its always prudent to curb your enthusiasm for a 21 year old who isn't out of the woods development wise (or in the potential for serious arm injury, barring misuse, after the age 21 season that should be out the window), but with what he has going on at AA right now, future is is gonna be a tag widely applied to him out on the open market this july and I think that might be his biggest contribution to the red sox this year... will be interesting.

[CrespoBlows]

Can't argue with his potential right now. Results like these come from good pitchers. He is very young too. Ahead (age wise) of every pitcher to come through our organization thus far, and putting up some pretty elite numbers. I mean, I guess its always prudent to curb your enthusiasm for a 21 year old who isn't out of the woods development wise (or in the potential for serious arm injury, barring misuse, after the age 21 season that should be out the window), but with what he has going on at AA right now, future is is gonna be a tag widely applied to him out on the open market this july and I think that might be his biggest contribution to the red sox this year... will be interesting.

That's why.

[ksushi]

I mean, what skin is it off your back if you get pumped about a guy doing as well as bowden and he suffers an injury or a hitch in development. The signs are encouraging. Jeez, enjoy the farm system man, we suffered through some awful, ugly and talentless years of farm system futiliy. Minor league talent was non-existent in Boston forever, our farm was vapid disgrace. The kid is a beast, maybe try to watch him, or follow him. He's doin' good stuff.

tis all

[CrespoBlows]

I mean, what skin is it off your back if you get pumped about a guy doing as well as bowden and he suffers an injury or a hitch in development. The signs are encouraging. Jeez, enjoy the farm system man, we suffered through some awful, ugly and talentless years of farm system futiliy. Minor league talent was non-existent in Boston forever, our farm was vapid disgrace. The kid is a beast, maybe try to watch him, or follow him. He's doin' good stuff.

tis all

I follow Bowden enough to koow that he's gotten mixed reviews about his offspeed stuff, and that his BABIP is currently at .243 at AA, meaning he's probably due for a regression.

I'm excited about what he can do at the higher levels, too, but forgive me for wanting to see him sustain this level of performance, before I label him a "future ace."

Right now, I have him pegged as a low #2/high #3 starter.

[ksushi]

See, everything I've heard about his off-speed has been more or less glowing. Only good things. When I saw him in portland last year, and what ive seen on nesn from time to time, its looked pretty good. No Buchholz, but pretty good. Especially the curve. His control numbers have always been great, and thats one of the biggest hurdles for a young kid.

I'm not saying people have to buy into every label tossed around out there, but i just like to see people get into the farm system? maybe im too crazy about it. I love the fact that we have actual promising young players. I think, personally, Bowden will never pitch for the Red Sox, it makes too much sense for him to be dealt. But I love the stuff he is doing for us right now, its really exciting, imo. not used to it.

[ORS]

I could see him being a 1A type pitcher. Just short of an ace. The reason he falls short is that he lacks dominant, knockout stuff. The reason he'll succeed is that he commands his pitches and keeps the ball in the park. Scouting reports of his stuff make me think Mike Mussina or James Shields. And, his minor league performance is right about between the two.

In the minors....
Player|IP|H/9|HR/9|BB/9|K/9
Moose|189.0|7.48|0.57|2.05|8.43
Bowden|322.2|7.91|0.59|2.60|8.85
Shields|544.1|9.06|0.86|2.18|7.86

These are courtesy of thebaseballcube.com, so they don't include this year. Thus, his stats are trending more toward Moose's performance. Moose has the low innings total because he was a college pitcher, and he cracked the bigs at age 22. Shields took a little more time to develop and made it to the majors at age 25.

Mind you, this is what I think his ceiling is, as in absolute best. That's really good, a borderline HOF'er with the longevity that Moose has had. A young Mike Mussina was consistently one of the better pitchers in the AL for about a decade without ever being the best.

The thing I like most about Bowden is that even if he doesn't hit that ceiling, with his demonstrated command, he's a safe bet to be a serviceable pitcher at a minimum, provided he stays healthy.

[Jim_Chandley]

Kid will be dirty. They say his attitude is outstanding on top of all the other stuff we've discussed

[Rdsxmbnt]

5.2 IP, 5 hits, 2 Runs (1 ER), 1 BB, 5 K

Theo in attendence, could it be time for a promotion?

[ksushi]

Could be. He has had a fantastic first half. It would be deserved. Anyone know if he is still the youngest player in AA?

BTW, rdsx, props for the old school Lester avatar.

[Rdsxmbnt]

another pretty solid outing: 7.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Season: 89.0 IP, 58 hits, 19 BB, 83 K, 2.33 ERA

[Mr Crunchy]

its mindboggling how successful our pitching has developed and the blessing is that none have been injured with the obvious exception of jon lester getting cancer.
the a's have had similar luck with their pitching development
seems everyone they bring up stays healthy and produces till they sell

[jacksonianmarch]

Harden?

[Jayhawk Bill]

Reading all these minor league stats on the Internet makes me want to Ralph.

Or, to be more specific, ERALF.

ERALF is a Luck-free ERA. All pitchers, but particularly minor league pitchers, get their ERA distorted by circumstances. Last winter Clay Davenport invented the ERALF, described in full here:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7165

Let's use this to look at Bowden. Checking BR, Bowden has an ERA of 2.33 at AA Portland this morning. Is he really that good?

Not according to ERALF. His ERALF is 3.12, almost a run higher than his ERA.

Bummer. Does that mean that he's not as good as we thought?

Probably not. BP now offers MLEs for minor league players. Based upon his 2008 performance, Bowden projects to a 3.91 ERALF in MLB right now, or a 3.66 ERALF at his peak. BP also gives Runs Above Replacement (RAR), which is similar to VORP. Bowden is at 38 RAR in AA, translating to 25 RAR in MLB. That would put Bowden right between Roy Halladay and Felix Hernandez as the fifth-best pitcher in the AL. :o

Look, probably Bowden wouldn't do quite that well if brought up to MLB right now--we're translating Bowden's best season, not his established level, and we don't know if he's gotten better or if he's gotten lucky in 2008 (even using ERALF doesn't eliminate ALL factors that might be called luck). But even if Bowden is only half as valuable as these metrics suggest--12.5 RAR at the MLB level thus far in 2008--that would still put him between Fausto Carmona and Chien-Ming Wang as the 33rd-best pitcher in the AL, and 33rd-best in the AL is a very valuable pitcher indeed.

And he's just 21 years old until September...yeah, barring injury, this guy is gonna be good. :D

[jacksonianmarch]

there will be an adjustment period. Bowden seems like the kind of guy who needs a little bit of time before he hits his stride.

[Jayhawk Bill]

there will be an adjustment period. Bowden seems like the kind of guy who needs a little bit of time before he hits his stride.

Yeah, like you said about Ian Kennedy.

Ummm...you did say that about Ian Kennedy, didn't you...ummm...never mind.

Well, sorry to have typed that. You might be right this time. :dunno:

[Rdsxmbnt]

5.0 IP, 2 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K last night

[ksushi]

That's awesome news. Soon you should be hearing some more awesome news around here about this very guy. Hmmm

[Rdsxmbnt]

5.0 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K tonight

[BoSox21]

is there a specific reason he never seems to go past 5 innings? some kind of pitch count or innings count?

[ORS]

He's at 104.1 IP over 19 starts for the season. That's 3 months into the season with about 2 months left. Figure another 10-12 starts at about 5 IP each, and he finishes with about 160+ IP with a little left for some September exposure to the MLB when rosters expand. This is what I'd do if he keeps up what he's done thus far.

[jacksonianmarch]

exactly ORS. He totalled 142IP last yr and going by the universal model (at least that is what it seems to be) you dont want to increase by more than 30IP at a clip. So his current pace allows him to be an option for a spot start in September if need be, but also allows him to have had an increase in IP. After this yr, the training wheels can likely come off. If he goes 170 this yr, then next yr he'd be on pace for 200, which is about as good as you could expect. The sox did this the right way. Stretch out the pitcher BEFORE he comes to the bigs.

[BoSox21]

Bowden has officially been promoted to Triple A Pawtucket according to WEEI and SoxProspects.com

[Mr Crunchy]

could be a september spark like bucholz was last summer

[BoSox21]

4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K in Bowden's Triple A debut

[Rdsxmbnt]

6.0 IP, 6 hit, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

[BoSox21]

got spanked a little bit

5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

[Rdsxmbnt]

His BABIP is extremely high right now, but the 13/0 K/BB is encouraging

[Boris]

Bowden done after 3 2/3. 7 h, 5 r, 2 earned, 6 k, 1 bb.

this guys a genius