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/i...owtopic=17834&
* Michael Bowden *
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