Position: IF/OF
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 09/02/2000
High School: Catholic Central HS (Toledo, OH)
How Acquired: Draft 11th round, 334th Overall, 2019
Bonus: $392,500
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2023
Minor League Free Agency: 2025
Options Left: 3
Overview
Bowen was a multi-sport athlete who had a commitment to Michigan State to play both baseball and football. That seemingly made him a tough guy to sign, but he said that his dream was to play in MLB, and he was scouted pretty heavily. Bowen runs well and has a good arm. The Pirates announced him as an outfielder, but he also played shortstop in high school. As a pro he’s played outfield, most often center, but he’s spent significant time at second and some at first. As a HS senior, Bowen hit .527 with eight homers, six triples, and 11 doubles, while also stealing 29 bases in 31 attempts. He signed for $392,500, which was $267,500 above the slot amount for picks after round ten.
2019-20
Bowen struggled at the plate in his debut. He actually started off well, with a .775 OPS in July, but slumped badly to .464 in August. He played all three outfield positions, but mostly center. His last dozen games were at second, where he played errorless ball. He didn’t play in the pandemic season.
2021-23
The Pirates moved Bowen to low A, where he spent the 2021 season. He evidently focused on adding power and generally seemed to be swinging for the fences. He tied for the fifth in the league in home runs with 14, but struck out a lot and didn’t make up for it with walks. Bowen’s OPS was a little below league average. He had some sharp ups and downs during the season, with two very good months and two extremely bad ones. His OPS by month, starting in May, was: .857 .728 .489 .867 .464. Bowen hammered LHPs for an OPS of .892, but managed only .641 against RHPs. Bowen started the season playing mostly at second, but he played exclusively in center starting in early August. He played well while he was at second. He also did very well as a base stealer, going 16-for-17.
In 2022, the Pirates sent Bowen back to Bradenton and he made a lot of progress. A .946 OPS in July earned him a promotion to Greensboro, although he struggled at the higher level, with just a .535 OPS in limited playing time. His walk and K rates at Bradenton improved only a little, but he made much better-quality contact. He had a big platoon split, with an OPS of .994 against LHPs and .681 against RHPs. Bowen continued to do a very good job of stealing bases, going 25-27 between the two levels. Defensively, he spent more time in center than anywhere else, but he also got meaningful time in both corners, and at first and second. He committed very few errors.
Bowen had a similar progression in 2023. He spent most of the season with Greensboro and hit 258/333/469. His plate discipline wasn’t great, but it was passable. He struck out in a quarter of his plate appearances and had a 7.1% walk rate. He got into eight games for Altoona at the end of the year and had five extra base hits. He had a 20-20 season, with 23 home runs and 26 steals. He was caught five times. One caveat with the hitting numbers is that Bowen hit 14 homers and slugged .536 at home, nine and .405 on the road. Bowen mainly stayed in the outfield, half of the time in center.
Bowen spent 2024 at Altoona and didn’t have a good year. He hit 241/298/366, with a weak BB:K ratio of 29:106. He only seemed to get going in ten September games, putting up a 1.081 OPS and hitting three of his ten home runs. He hammered LHPs for an .892 OPS, but managed just .601 against RHPs. Bowen played mostly center and right, with a few games in left and at first.
Stats
Transactions
June 5, 2019: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round, 334th overall pick; signed on June 19.