Just how good is Michael Bowden?
Wayback1918
2009
Starts 7
Inninngs 42
ER 4
Hits 19
K 28
BB 16
OP AVe .136
Only 22 years old.
Tough to find fault there...... (but wait a minute I'll try)
Bowden was not ranked among the elite prospects on anyone's pre-season
list
Some publications thought he was a good prospect....
John Sickels rated him a "B+"
Baseball Prospectus had him #31 (13th pitcher ranked)
The Sporting News had him #35
Other not quite as high......
Baseball America had him #83 In the 2009 BA Prospect book they
describe him as a #3 guy.
MLB.com did not include him in their top 50
ESPN ranked him #56
These predictions were, of course, before he put up his 2009 AAA
numbers.....(and his very brief but impressive cameo with the big
club)
So what's not to like........?
He isn't a stikeout pitcher. Only 6.0 per 9 innings. Not bad if
your a Major League pitcher but nothing special if you are a top AAA
prospect.
His BB per 9 is 3.4. That's not a number that would you would say
indicates a 'Control problem'....but it doesn't describe pin point
accuracy either.
Combined they give a rather uninspiring 1.75 K/W ratio.
He is also a fly ball pitcher GO/AO 2008 0.87 2009 0.88.
However...even though he appears to work up in the strike zone he
hasn't given up a HR this year and doesn't have a history of being
prone to the long ball.
It does concern me as to how well a minor league fly ball pitcher
without a good strike out pitch can translate to the Majors.
Do we have a high ceiling prospect.....or do we have Paul Byrd?
So I ask the question is Bowden's real worth as solid future (or
present) contributor to the Major League pitching staff?......or is
hemore valuable as a trading chip who may not be quite as good his
2009 numbers suggest?
I think the latter.
Christina will be by later to explain why I was wrong about
this........
John Vamp
I think you're right, actually. I think Bowden is exactly the kind of
guy you trade while his numbers are outstanding. He's definitely a
valuable trading chip, as other teams are constantly asking about
him. I don't think he'll be a star in the majors, although I do think
he'll end up being an above-average starter. And that's worth a lot.
So I wouldn't at all mind seeing him in a Red Sox uniform, but I think
his greatest value to the team is as a trading chip for something else
they need.
Just my two cents.
John
bi...@ix.netcom.com
No Wayback actually I never thought of Bowden as a super star, I am
some what in between, originally I was more like you, I thought he was
a #3 starter which is valuable but not esential, a 200 inning pitcher
with good control and a solid era, it was only this spring when he
bulked up that I started thinking more highly of him, still I agree
that the strike out rate could be what they call a red flag, Brian
Rose comes to mind at times when I think of good minor league pitchers
with mediocre strike out rates, though Bowden's was higher before and
it could be from a small sample. Still I also would have no problem
trading him when his value is so high as does John!
The only thing I would say as the adendum is that Sickels is VERY
conservative with prospects, from him a B + is actually a really good
grade, he gives hardly any A's and A -'s especially for pitchers. So
for him that is high praise, the other publications are more in the
good not great fashion.