Michael Bowden

From SoSH

Contents 1 Scouting Report 2 Amateur Career 3 Minor League Career 3.1 Minor League Awards 4 Trivia 5 Quotes 6 External Links

Scouting Report

• Bowden is a big righty strikeout starter with ace potential. He is an advanced pitcher for his age, but still has a ways to go to reach his potential. He has an arsenal of four pitches that have the potential to be big-league caliber: a low-90s four-seam fastball which tops out around 95, a 12-6 hard breaking curve, a tight slider, and a developing circle changeup with plus potential. His main pitch, the four-seamer, has a late, heavy sinking movement. Also, Bowden has a two-seamer that is a few mph off of his four-seamer with a bit more movement. His changeup sits in the low 80s, about 10 mph off of his fastball - has room for improvement. His slider sits around 81 mph and curveball in the mid 70s, but he doesn't utilize it all that often. Secondary stuff isn't dominant at this point, and he relies a little too much on his fastball. Overall, Bowden has a very good command of the zone, but could stand to miss a few more bats. One aspect that should come with more experience is improved pitchability against advanced hitters. Delivery is somewhat unconventional, almost 3/4 style, with a leaning motion while dropping his head a bit - but he's able to maintain it throughout his outings. Bowden is said to be a workaholic and just loves to pitch - another player who just lives and dies for baseball. Very athletic. ~ SoxProspects.com

• Bowden's delivery is a bit unorthodox, but the Red Sox sent him to ASMI (the American Sports Medicine Institute) in Alabama, where his delivery and timing was studied by Dr. James Andrews, to be sure that his delivery didn't put any additional stress on his arm. "The results came back very well, so they don't feel I need to change anything. I do have to pay attention to my direction to home plate though, because I push off on my toes more than my whole foot. I'm facing a little toward right-handed hitters in my delivery." Bowden said, in an interview with David Laurila of redsoxnation.net.

Amateur Career

Bowden was selected 47th overall in the 2005 draft in the supplemental first round. Bowden dominated high school competition pitching for Waubonsie Valley High School in Illinois. At the age of 18, Bowden recorded a 0.45 ERA with 172 strikeouts over 80 innings pitched, a rate of 19.35 K/9 innings pitched. Bowden demanded scouts attention after pitching a 17K perfect game in May 2005. Bowden's draft stock slipped after his next performance, and Baseball America had rated him as the 38th best prospect for the draft. Unknown to most teams, he had been paving his driveway as a Mother's Day present the day before the game, which exhausted him and limited his effectiveness. The Sox had investigated the situation, and kept Bowden high on the boards as a result.

Minor League Career

• 2008: Bowden has started the 2008 season with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.

• 2007: He started off the 2006 season pitching for High-A Lancaster where he had an unprecedented performance, going 2-0, with 1.37 ERA in 8 starts, striking out 46 and only walking 8. Bowden was then promoted to Double-A Portland where he struggled initially but started to come on towards the end of the year and was among the youngest pitchers in the league at 20. His final line for the Sea Dogs was 8-6, with a 4.28 ERA in 19 starts, striking out 82 and walking 33.

• 2006: Bowden began the 2006 season pitching for the Greenville Drive, posting a 9-6 record, with a 3.51 ERA in 24 starts, pitching 107.2 innings, striking out 118, with a 1.13 WHIP. Bowden was called up to Single-A Wilmington as the Bluerocks were approaching the playoffs. The move was slightly debateable, because of the Red Sox history of handling their top pitching prospects with kid gloves, and Bowden already pitching a full season for Greenville, while seemingly wearing down at the end of the season.

• 2005: Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the Supplemental 1st Round (47nd Pick) of the 2005 Amateur Draft. He made his pro debut that summer with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 4 games (2 starts).

Minor League Awards

• 2007 Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month - April 2007
• 2007 Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago ML Player of the Year
• 2008 Eastern League All-Star
• 2008 Portland Sea Dogs Pitcher of the Year

Trivia

• Bowden was planning to attend Arizona State University until he was drafted to the Boston Red Sox between the first and second rounds of the First-Year Player Draft in June 2005.

Quotes

Matt Myers, Baseball America

Matt Meyers: let him start until he proves he can't. As for him and the bullpen, all I said was that the lack of a changeup combined with his mechanics could mean he ends up in the bullpen. To say that the Red Sox have dismissed his mechanics as a future issue is ludicrous. Obviously, they felt the mechanics were not a big enough issue for them to not draft him, but there is no way to know how it will play out down the road. As we all remember, Mark Prior was supposed to have the cleanest mechanics you'd ever see, and he has had nothing but arm problems the last couple of years.

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.

External Links

• Michael Bowden - Minor League Information Courtesy of Sox Prospects

• Minor League Player Page - MiLB.com
• Micheal Bowden Interview courtesy of Red Sox Nation
• Michael Bowden SoSH Adopt-A-Prospect Thread