Cody Ross' is the winner of the NLCS-MVP award, and it was all because of...John Bowker.
Bowker, after underwhelming the G-Men in 2008-09, lit up the Arizona sky during the past spring, launching longballs and even driving home seven runs in one pre-season match. He got the starting nod on Opening Day, out-battling Nate Schierholtz, who was favored to win the position.
Well, we all know that spring knocks don't necessarily carry over into the regular season, and they didn't for Bowker. He hit .207, Schierholtz got the job he was slotted for, and all was according to plan San Fran.
Except that Schierholtz didn't particularly smack the horsehide much better than Bowker, hitting .242 with three home runs in 137 games.
So the Giants' FO went fishing just like Neal Huntington likes to do. They landed Cody Ross, claiming him off waivers from Florida on August 22nd. On the 31st, they moved third-wheel Bowker, along with Joe Martinez, to the Bucs for Javier Lopez.
Bowker spent September in right field for Pittsburgh; Ross is spending October in right field for the Giants. And doing pretty well, too.
Ross is batting .324 through his first two playoff series with eight RBI and four home runs. He's four wins away from helping the G-Men to their first title since the Say-Hey days of 1954.
And it's all because John Bowker couldn't hang on to the starting job in San Francisco.
Showing posts with label john bowker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john bowker. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
John Bowker...Looking For A Gig
John Bowker was born July 8, 1983 in Sacramento, California.
The 27 year old attended Rio Americano HS, and lettered three times in baseball, twice in football and once in hoops. But baseball was his ace sport. He established school single-season records for batting average (.463), hits (41), homers (8) and RBI (41).
He went off to two years at Long Beach State (his roomie was Troy Tulowitzki), entering the draft following his sophomore campaign. Batting .323 in college, he was named to the first Team All-Big West after leading the LBSU 49ers to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2004.
Selected by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 2004 draft, Bowker signed quickly and began his pro career. Splitting time between the Arizona Giants and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, he played in 41 games and collected 63 hits in 170 at-bats for a lofty .371/6/27 line. He also picked up a rep as a 100%'er.
He spent the 2005 season with the High A San Jose Giants. In 121 games, he hit .267 with 22 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 67 RBI. In 2006, he played mainly for San Jose and had a cup of coffee with the AAA Fresno Grizzlies. Combined, he put together a line of .285/7/66 in 114 games.
Bowker spent all of 2007 with the AA Connecticut Defenders. In 139 games, he hit .307 with a career highs in home runs (22), RBI (90), doubles (35), and triples (6) while hitting .307. Bowker started 2008 in AAA Fresno, but not for long.
On April 12th, 2008, he made his Major League debut. With three hours sleep, he was thrown into the starting lineup, and he singled and hit a three-run home run, becoming the eighth player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a home run in his first game.
The next day, Bowker hit his second home run to enter the record books as the first player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a long ball in each of his first two MLB games. On July 2nd, he showed off his muscle when he bombed a "Splash Hit" home run into McCovey Cove in the Bay.
But after a brilliant first half, Bowker sharply declined as the summer wore on. He hit eight HR’s by the end of June in 198 at-bats, but only drilled two more the rest of the year. Still, he batted .255 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 111 games as a rookie.
His plate discipline was his downfall. Once pitchers saw he would swing at just about anything, they began avoiding the hitting zone religiously. His base on balls percentage in 2008 was just 5% and his strikeout rate was 21%.
On August 13th, he was sent back to Fresno, rejoining the Giants after September call-ups.
Bowker spent most of 2009 in Fresno, with a plan to work on his pitch selection. His walk percentage skyrocketed to 16%, elevating his OBP to a career high .451. He hit 21 home runs with 82 RBI in 366 at-bats, winning the Giant's Minor League Player of the Year Award and a MiLB award as the top AAA hitter. Bowker was recalled to the big team on July 9th, and only managed 15 starts, hitting .194/2/7.
The Giants planned to give the starting right field job to Nate Schierholtz out of spring training in 2010. But Schierholtz didn’t hit, while Bowker did. JB had team highs in home runs (six) and RBIs (22), and was batting .307 with a .384 OBP and a .627 slugging percentage in 27 games during camp.
So Bruce Bochy selected Bowker as the team's 2010 Opening Day right fielder. The show of confidence quickly dissipated. Bowker hit .207/3/8 in 90 plate appearances in 18 starts. Bochy is noted in SF for having a short leash on young players, preferring vets.
So it was no surprise when Bowker was sent down to make room for Pat Burrell on June 4th. The suits told him he going to Fresno to get some at bats, relax, and learn how to deal with not playing every day. Par for the course, he ripped it up in AAA, hitting .310/13/46 in 51 games. It wasn't enough to impress the G-Men.
On July 31st, Bowker and RHP Joe Martinez were traded to the Pirates for Javy Lopez. Bowker was assigned to AAA Indy, where he batted .319 in 25 games with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He was called up to Pittsburgh on September 1st, and hasn't shown much in limited action.
Radio station KNBR's sports host Tom Tolbert compared Bowker to the Bull Durham movie character "Crash" Davis, a veteran minor league slugger, after Bowker won his awards in 2009 but hit just .194 in the show.
Therein lies Bowker's problem. Many consider him a AAAA player, and his MLB line of .233/15/58 supports that view. Bowker himself was excited to come to Pittsburgh, because he thought he'd get a chance to start here. He felt like he needed regular at-bats to improve his production, and this is where he could get them.
But Bowker admitted that GM Neal Huntington told him the Pirates didn't have a concrete plan for him. That's pretty obvious. He looks like another trade made based on potential rather than filling a need.
Bowker plays the corner outfield and some first base. The Pirates already have a logjam in right, where Bowker would play thanks to PNC, with Lastings Milledge, Ryan Doumit, Delwyn Young, and possible darkhorses Alex Presley and Brandon Moss.
Ditto for first base, home to lefties Garrett Jones and Jeff Clement, with Steve Pearce lurking in the wings.
To pump up the degree of difficulty, Bowker looks the part of a platoon, not full time, player. He's hit only .109 against LHPs in the very small sample of 46 MLB at-bats, a trait he shared in the minors, though not nearly so strikingly. He doesn't run well and is below average defensively.
Bowker, Clement, and Pearce are all out of options for 2011. Milledge, Young, Moss and Jones had their options expire this season while Doumit is under contract. That's a heckuva lotta guys to roster for two spots.
And that's one weakness of this management team. They trawl for every lefty with a little pop that they can find, enamored by the Clemente Wall. So not only do they end up with a posse of similar guys that need a long look that they can't possibly get here, but the team also gets its head handed to them on the road. Dang, guys, find a righty hitter, OK? Lefties can't platoon with lefties.
John Bowker may be a minor-league hero, or he may be a guy that needs to get a season under his belt in the bigs, like Garrett Jones. But it's no sure bet that question will be answered in Pittsburgh; there's a lot of warm bodies vying for the same roster spot next season.
The 27 year old attended Rio Americano HS, and lettered three times in baseball, twice in football and once in hoops. But baseball was his ace sport. He established school single-season records for batting average (.463), hits (41), homers (8) and RBI (41).
He went off to two years at Long Beach State (his roomie was Troy Tulowitzki), entering the draft following his sophomore campaign. Batting .323 in college, he was named to the first Team All-Big West after leading the LBSU 49ers to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2004.
Selected by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 2004 draft, Bowker signed quickly and began his pro career. Splitting time between the Arizona Giants and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, he played in 41 games and collected 63 hits in 170 at-bats for a lofty .371/6/27 line. He also picked up a rep as a 100%'er.
He spent the 2005 season with the High A San Jose Giants. In 121 games, he hit .267 with 22 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 67 RBI. In 2006, he played mainly for San Jose and had a cup of coffee with the AAA Fresno Grizzlies. Combined, he put together a line of .285/7/66 in 114 games.
Bowker spent all of 2007 with the AA Connecticut Defenders. In 139 games, he hit .307 with a career highs in home runs (22), RBI (90), doubles (35), and triples (6) while hitting .307. Bowker started 2008 in AAA Fresno, but not for long.
On April 12th, 2008, he made his Major League debut. With three hours sleep, he was thrown into the starting lineup, and he singled and hit a three-run home run, becoming the eighth player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a home run in his first game.
The next day, Bowker hit his second home run to enter the record books as the first player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a long ball in each of his first two MLB games. On July 2nd, he showed off his muscle when he bombed a "Splash Hit" home run into McCovey Cove in the Bay.
But after a brilliant first half, Bowker sharply declined as the summer wore on. He hit eight HR’s by the end of June in 198 at-bats, but only drilled two more the rest of the year. Still, he batted .255 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 111 games as a rookie.
His plate discipline was his downfall. Once pitchers saw he would swing at just about anything, they began avoiding the hitting zone religiously. His base on balls percentage in 2008 was just 5% and his strikeout rate was 21%.
On August 13th, he was sent back to Fresno, rejoining the Giants after September call-ups.
Bowker spent most of 2009 in Fresno, with a plan to work on his pitch selection. His walk percentage skyrocketed to 16%, elevating his OBP to a career high .451. He hit 21 home runs with 82 RBI in 366 at-bats, winning the Giant's Minor League Player of the Year Award and a MiLB award as the top AAA hitter. Bowker was recalled to the big team on July 9th, and only managed 15 starts, hitting .194/2/7.
The Giants planned to give the starting right field job to Nate Schierholtz out of spring training in 2010. But Schierholtz didn’t hit, while Bowker did. JB had team highs in home runs (six) and RBIs (22), and was batting .307 with a .384 OBP and a .627 slugging percentage in 27 games during camp.
So Bruce Bochy selected Bowker as the team's 2010 Opening Day right fielder. The show of confidence quickly dissipated. Bowker hit .207/3/8 in 90 plate appearances in 18 starts. Bochy is noted in SF for having a short leash on young players, preferring vets.
So it was no surprise when Bowker was sent down to make room for Pat Burrell on June 4th. The suits told him he going to Fresno to get some at bats, relax, and learn how to deal with not playing every day. Par for the course, he ripped it up in AAA, hitting .310/13/46 in 51 games. It wasn't enough to impress the G-Men.
On July 31st, Bowker and RHP Joe Martinez were traded to the Pirates for Javy Lopez. Bowker was assigned to AAA Indy, where he batted .319 in 25 games with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He was called up to Pittsburgh on September 1st, and hasn't shown much in limited action.
Radio station KNBR's sports host Tom Tolbert compared Bowker to the Bull Durham movie character "Crash" Davis, a veteran minor league slugger, after Bowker won his awards in 2009 but hit just .194 in the show.
Therein lies Bowker's problem. Many consider him a AAAA player, and his MLB line of .233/15/58 supports that view. Bowker himself was excited to come to Pittsburgh, because he thought he'd get a chance to start here. He felt like he needed regular at-bats to improve his production, and this is where he could get them.
But Bowker admitted that GM Neal Huntington told him the Pirates didn't have a concrete plan for him. That's pretty obvious. He looks like another trade made based on potential rather than filling a need.
Bowker plays the corner outfield and some first base. The Pirates already have a logjam in right, where Bowker would play thanks to PNC, with Lastings Milledge, Ryan Doumit, Delwyn Young, and possible darkhorses Alex Presley and Brandon Moss.
Ditto for first base, home to lefties Garrett Jones and Jeff Clement, with Steve Pearce lurking in the wings.
To pump up the degree of difficulty, Bowker looks the part of a platoon, not full time, player. He's hit only .109 against LHPs in the very small sample of 46 MLB at-bats, a trait he shared in the minors, though not nearly so strikingly. He doesn't run well and is below average defensively.
Bowker, Clement, and Pearce are all out of options for 2011. Milledge, Young, Moss and Jones had their options expire this season while Doumit is under contract. That's a heckuva lotta guys to roster for two spots.
And that's one weakness of this management team. They trawl for every lefty with a little pop that they can find, enamored by the Clemente Wall. So not only do they end up with a posse of similar guys that need a long look that they can't possibly get here, but the team also gets its head handed to them on the road. Dang, guys, find a righty hitter, OK? Lefties can't platoon with lefties.
John Bowker may be a minor-league hero, or he may be a guy that needs to get a season under his belt in the bigs, like Garrett Jones. But it's no sure bet that question will be answered in Pittsburgh; there's a lot of warm bodies vying for the same roster spot next season.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Javy Lopez Going Going Gone
A couple of national sources report that the Pirates have sent Javier Lopez to the Giants for starter Joe Martinez and OF John Bowker.
Martinez was used as a cup-of-coffee reliever by the G-Men, but was doing pretty well as a starter at AAA Fresno. The 27 year-old righty was 5-3 with a 3.32 ERA, and averaged 7 K's and 3 BB's per nine innings with a WHIP of 1.279.
He a soft tosser. The Seton Hall product throws a 86-88 MPH sinking fastball, has a plus change and an average curve, pretty much the textbook description of a pitch-to-contact, ground ball hurler. Martinez is considered to be a fringe prospect.
Bowker, 27, is 6' 2" 200 pound outfielder (and a little 1B) with power. Last year at AAA Fresno, he hit .342 with 21 home runs, 83 RBI, 82 runs scored, and led the league in batting. This year, he's hitting .310/.384/.594 with 14 HR and 36 RBI in 197 at-bats.
But after a strong 2008 campaign, he's hit just .200 with 5 HR in 149 at-bats in the past two seasons for San Fran. Some think he needs regular time; others think he's a AAAA player.
Both will report to Indy.
So Neal Huntington turned his LOOGY into a pair of older fringe, but possibly MLB useful, prospects.
Martinez was used as a cup-of-coffee reliever by the G-Men, but was doing pretty well as a starter at AAA Fresno. The 27 year-old righty was 5-3 with a 3.32 ERA, and averaged 7 K's and 3 BB's per nine innings with a WHIP of 1.279.
He a soft tosser. The Seton Hall product throws a 86-88 MPH sinking fastball, has a plus change and an average curve, pretty much the textbook description of a pitch-to-contact, ground ball hurler. Martinez is considered to be a fringe prospect.
Bowker, 27, is 6' 2" 200 pound outfielder (and a little 1B) with power. Last year at AAA Fresno, he hit .342 with 21 home runs, 83 RBI, 82 runs scored, and led the league in batting. This year, he's hitting .310/.384/.594 with 14 HR and 36 RBI in 197 at-bats.
But after a strong 2008 campaign, he's hit just .200 with 5 HR in 149 at-bats in the past two seasons for San Fran. Some think he needs regular time; others think he's a AAAA player.
Both will report to Indy.
So Neal Huntington turned his LOOGY into a pair of older fringe, but possibly MLB useful, prospects.
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