8/12/14

MM's Top 25: #19 RHSP Matthew Bowman


#19 RHSP Matthew Bowman (LR: #28)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 165 lb
Age: 23
Acquired: 2012 draft, 13th round, Princeton University

2014: (AA/AAA) 7-7, 3.35 ERA, 102.0 IP, 7.9 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.333 WHIP
2013: (A/A+) 10-4, 3.05 ERA, 127.0 IP, 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.150 WHIP
2012: (SS-A) 2-2, 2.45 ERA, 29.1 IP, 9.2 K/9, 0.6 BB/9, 0.955 WHIP

     The Mets are not strangers when it comes to drafting mature, almost fully developed college arms. Sandy selected a trio of them in 2011 (Mazzoni, Pill, Verrett), and Bowman was 1 of 7 college seniors selected in 2012. College seniors can generally be fast tracked through the lower minors and Bowman did exactly that. With his recent promotion to AAA- Las Vegas, Bowman has pitched at every major level in a span of roughly 12 months.

     As an Ivy League graduate, Bowman's upside comes from his knowledge and utilization of 5 different pitches which he mixes very well. He controls his 92-93mph fastball very well and spots it on the corners with regularity. He also has a curveball, slider, change-up, and a split finger in his arsenal, all of which grade out as potential MLB average pitches. All of that variety, plus the fact that his wind-up motion is nearly the exact image of former CY Young winner, Tim Lincecum, allows him to hide his pitches well and keep hitters off-balance multiple times through the order.

     Bowman has never posted an ERA above 3.50 at any level and his K/9 has always remained in the low 8's which is pretty consistently solid. Every time I watch him pitch I always compare him to a mix of Lincecum and a right handed Niese. He's certainly a sleeper guy worth watching.

Ceiling: #4/#5 Starter in the MLB
Floor: Medium Leverage MLB reliever


9 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

A possible 4/5 rotation level guy is good. Sometimes, guys with Bowman Princeton smarts may squeeze a little more out.

Mack Ade said...

Bowman is another of those guys that you just don't know how to project on this team.

On the surface, pitchers like this don't scream out to become part of the Mets rotation, and then along comes a guy like deGrom...

That Adam Smith said...

I know it's not the only consideration, but I tend to believe that really smart pitchers (all else being equal) tend to squeeze a lot more out of their talents. Also, when they're finished, they make great broadcasters. I'd call Bowman a keeper until he proves otherwise.

Anonymous said...

I would place my bet that he never throw a pitch for the Mets given their inventory, despite the success he has had. the numbers sound good, but the profile doesn't really fit and they have quite a lot of the second tier variety. he may prove me wrong, but I don't see it

The Closer said...

Anon,

deGrom was considered a Tier 2 talent just a few months ago. I wouldn't consider myself an internal optimist, but I'm not giving up on guys like this who clearly have shown the ability to get guys out. If we're saying that this guys floor is a medium leverage reliever, sign me up as having a deep bullpen is a necessity to win in this era. To your point, he could also be a guy that has a big season at AAA next year and becomes a Colin McHugh type that is blocked here, but can be moved for a smaller piece (backup catcher, utility infielder type role player) that could help this team win. Either way, some of Sandy's pick are starting to show themselves and we'll hopefully start to see them blossom over the next year or so to be able to make a better evaluation on 3-4 years out of a draft class.

Mack or anyone else, That might make a good piece to take a look back at the 2011-2012 draft classes to do a where are they now vs our initial judgements. a la Brandon Nimmo, who many of us weren't too happy with, but is looking like he could be a solid everyday regular, especially if he can hit lefties, which seems to be his downfall at this point.

Mack Ade said...

Closer -

Another guy I wonder about is Logan Verrett... takes some talent to win 10 games in Vegas as a starter

Mack Ade said...

Closer -

I broke out the players from the 2011 draft that have made the AAA and AA level - it will be in Thursday's Morning Report

Anonymous said...

Verrett is much farther from Bowman on the list :)

Anonymous said...

*isn't