John Bowker (baseball)
Encyclopedia
John Brite Bowker is a Major League Baseball
outfielder
and first baseman
who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies
. He bats and throws left-handed.
, Bowker played for Arden Little League as a Giant, and was named an All Star in the "Major League" Division in 1994 along with future high school stars Jeff Geremia, Garrick Javidi, and Rafael Bergstrom, who went on to play professional baseball in Europe. Bowker attended Rio Americano High School
in Sacramento playing under Coach Martin Whitley, who preached the timeless mantra of "play hard, play smart, play catch." Bowker was named All- League in 3 sports after lettering 3 years in baseball, 2 seasons in football
and 1 in basketball
. He established school single-season records for batting average
(.463) hits
(41), Home run
s (8) and RBI
(41). He spent two years at Long Beach State University
, before entering draft following his sophomore campaign. Batting .323 over that time, he was named to the 1st Team All-Big West after leading the LBSU 49ers to the NCAA Super Regionals in .
, Bowker signed and began his professional career that very same year. Between time spent with the AZL Giants and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
, he played in 41 games, collecting 63 hits in 170 at-bats for a .371 batting average. Former Salem-Keizer manager Walt Weiss famously told the Daily Oregonian, "Some players give 110 percent only 50 percent of the time. Bowker gives 110 percent 110 percent of time." With the AZL Giants, he hit .512 in 43 at-bats.
He spent the season with the High Single-A San Jose Giants
. In 121 games, he hit 22 double
s, one triple
, and 13 home runs en route to a .267 batting average. In , he split time between San Jose and the Triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies
. Combined, he hit .285 in 114 games.
Bowker spent all of with the Connecticut Defenders
, the Giants' Double-A affiliate. In 139 games, he hit .307 with a career highs in home runs (22), RBI (90), doubles (35), and triples (6). Overall, he has hit .296 with 48 home runs and 250 RBI in 104 minor league games.
at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, having slept only 3 hours. Inserted into the starting lineup, he single
d 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, off Joel Piñeiro
, to become the first player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a home run in each of his first two Major League games. On June 7, he hit the first grand slam of his career, off of Luis Ayala
, in a 6-0 victory over the Washington Nationals
. On July 2, 2008, Bowker hit a "Splash Hit" home run into McCovey Cove
. Nonetheless, on August 13, he was sent back down to Triple-A Fresno due to a lack of offensive production. He was recalled to the Giants after rosters expanded in September.
Bowker was again called up to the Giants on July 9, 2009.
On January 19, 2010, KNBR's Tom Tolbert compared Bowker to Bull Durham character "Crash" Davis, a veteran minor league slugger, after Bowker won the MiLBY award as the top Triple-A hitter in 2009, but hit just .194 in 67 Major League at-bats.
On July 31, 2010, Bowker and Joe Martinez
were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Javier Lopez
. The Pirates assigned Bowker to their AAA club, the Indianapolis Indians
, where he batted .319 in 25 games with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He was called up to the Pittsburgh club on September 1, 2010, and joined the team in Chicago
for the afternoon series finale with the Cubs
.
He was designated for assignment by the Pirates on April 27, 2011. On May 4, he was assigned to Indianapolis after clearing waivers.
On August 30th, 2011, Bowker was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
and first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He bats and throws left-handed.
Early years
Prior to playing professional baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, Bowker played for Arden Little League as a Giant, and was named an All Star in the "Major League" Division in 1994 along with future high school stars Jeff Geremia, Garrick Javidi, and Rafael Bergstrom, who went on to play professional baseball in Europe. Bowker attended Rio Americano High School
Rio Americano High School
Rio Americano High School, colloquially known as Rio, is an American public high school in Sacramento, California, serving students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the San Juan Unified School District. Brian T. Ginter is the principal...
in Sacramento playing under Coach Martin Whitley, who preached the timeless mantra of "play hard, play smart, play catch." Bowker was named All- League in 3 sports after lettering 3 years in baseball, 2 seasons in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and 1 in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. He established school single-season records for batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(.463) hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(41), Home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (8) and RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
(41). He spent two years at Long Beach State University
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
, before entering draft following his sophomore campaign. Batting .323 over that time, he was named to the 1st Team All-Big West after leading the LBSU 49ers to the NCAA Super Regionals in .
Minor League career
Originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft2004 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
, Bowker signed and began his professional career that very same year. Between time spent with the AZL Giants and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...
, he played in 41 games, collecting 63 hits in 170 at-bats for a .371 batting average. Former Salem-Keizer manager Walt Weiss famously told the Daily Oregonian, "Some players give 110 percent only 50 percent of the time. Bowker gives 110 percent 110 percent of time." With the AZL Giants, he hit .512 in 43 at-bats.
He spent the season with the High Single-A San Jose Giants
San Jose Giants
The San Jose Giants are a minor league baseball team in San Jose, California, USA. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the Northern Division of the California League, and have been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988. Home games are played at San Jose Municipal Stadium...
. In 121 games, he hit 22 double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
s, one triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and 13 home runs en route to a .267 batting average. In , he split time between San Jose and the Triple-A
AAA (baseball)
Triple-A refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball in the United States and Mexico.-Purpose:Triple-A teams' main purpose is to prepare players for the Major Leagues:...
Fresno Grizzlies
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
. Combined, he hit .285 in 114 games.
Bowker spent all of with the Connecticut Defenders
Connecticut Defenders
The Connecticut Defenders were a minor league baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 season, when the Defenders relocated to Richmond,...
, the Giants' Double-A affiliate. In 139 games, he hit .307 with a career highs in home runs (22), RBI (90), doubles (35), and triples (6). Overall, he has hit .296 with 48 home runs and 250 RBI in 104 minor league games.
Major League career
On April 12, , Bowker made his Major League debut. He was told late the night before to report to the Giants and left FresnoFresno
Fresno is the fifth largest city in California.Fresno may also refer to:-Places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nidáliga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos* Aldea del Fresno, Madrid* Fresno de la Vega, Ribera del Esla, León...
at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, having slept only 3 hours. Inserted into the starting lineup, he single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
d 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, off Joel Piñeiro
Joel Piñeiro
Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:...
, to become the first player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a home run in each of his first two Major League games. On June 7, he hit the first grand slam of his career, off of Luis Ayala
Luis Ayala
Luis Ignacio Ayala is a Major League Baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He is 6' 2" and weighs 190 lbs. and bats and throws right-handed.-Mexican League:...
, in a 6-0 victory over the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
. On July 2, 2008, Bowker hit a "Splash Hit" home run into McCovey Cove
McCovey Cove
McCovey Cove is the unofficial name of a section of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field wall of AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, coined after famed Giants first baseman Willie McCovey. The proper name for the cove is China Basin, which is the mouth of Mission Creek as it meets the...
. Nonetheless, on August 13, he was sent back down to Triple-A Fresno due to a lack of offensive production. He was recalled to the Giants after rosters expanded in September.
Bowker was again called up to the Giants on July 9, 2009.
On January 19, 2010, KNBR's Tom Tolbert compared Bowker to Bull Durham character "Crash" Davis, a veteran minor league slugger, after Bowker won the MiLBY award as the top Triple-A hitter in 2009, but hit just .194 in 67 Major League at-bats.
On July 31, 2010, Bowker and Joe Martinez
Joe Martinez (baseball)
Joseph A. Martinez is a Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school and college:Born in South Orange, New Jersey, Martinez attended Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange. He went to Boston College where he went 0–0 with a 0.00 ERA in seven games in 2002...
were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Javier Lopez
Javier López
Javier Alfonso López is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants. López previously played for the Colorado Rockies , Arizona Diamondbacks , Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates . He is a left-handed specialist known for his sidearm delivery...
. The Pirates assigned Bowker to their AAA club, the Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
, where he batted .319 in 25 games with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He was called up to the Pittsburgh club on September 1, 2010, and joined the team in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for the afternoon series finale with the Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
He was designated for assignment by the Pirates on April 27, 2011. On May 4, he was assigned to Indianapolis after clearing waivers.
On August 30th, 2011, Bowker was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies.