Phillies announce deal for Bowker
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Phillies announce deal for Bowker
Daily News staff
The Phillies formally announced the acquisiton of outfielder John Bowker from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Bowker will be selected to the major league roster and is expected to be in uniform for tonight’s game in Cincinnati against the Reds.
The trade was first reported by CSNphilly.com last night.
Bowker, 28, has spent the majority of the 2011 season with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he batted .306 with 27 doubles, 15 home runs and 76 RBI in 106 games. Among International League batters, he ranked seventh in hits (129), eighth in batting average and tied for eighth in RBI.
A left-handed batter, Bowker hit .336 against right-handed pitching for Indianapolis with 12 of his 15 home runs.
In 19 major league games for the Pirates this year (all in April), he hit .235 (4-17) with a double and two RBI. Sixteen of his 17 at-bats came as a pinch-hitter.
As a pinch-hitter in the major leagues, Bowker has a .301 (22-73) career average with four doubles, two triples, one home run and 12 RBI.
Originally selected by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 2004 draft out of Long Beach State University, Bowker is a career .237 hitter at the major league level with 25 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs and 73 RBI in 228 games for the Giants (2008-10) and Pirates (2010-11). He has played 73 games at first base, 36 in right field and 25 in left field.
To make room for Bowker on the 25-man roster, the Phillies optioned right-hander Michael Schwimer to triple-A Lehigh Valley following last night’s game and to make room on the 40-man roster, the club transferred right-hander Jose Contreras to the 60-day disabled list.
Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for easy access to all of our Phillies coverage, plus app-exclusive videos and analysis. Get it here.
And I'm not complaining about the Phils' ways. This sounds like a reasonable addition.— frankenslade- rolenfan, are you aware of some article or interview that everyone else missed, in which "his coaches" complained that Ryan Howard refused to change his batting stance, to the detriment of Domonic Brown? I can't even imagine what hallucinogenics you took before posting those messages. I'm glad you did though, because everyone got a chuckle out of them.— 1980
- Brown is two service days away from having a full year of major league experience...I don't think there is ANY way they are going bring him up for the balance of the year and lose a year of control.
If you were RAJ, would YOU do it? - Brown is two service days away from qualifying for a full year of MLB service, so why would RAJ bring him up as bench filler for September and throw away a year of control?
If you were RAJ, would YOU do that? - Funny as it may sound, I was hoping Greg Dobbs was made available out there so the Phils could pick him up. Getting out of town seems to have cleared his head and helped him get back into hitting.— rvb2321
- How is Moss and Bowker the same player? Bowker is being called up to hit against RHP. He is batting .336 against RHP. I assure you that Moss is not.— mjm0132
- The Phillies record the last 6 years and the team they have assembled this year clearly shows mgt has no idea what its doing.......— tnphil
- that's what sports talk is...what's not funny is listening to the creepy guy in the corner at the barbershop, that's what you're sounding like.— bearsfriend
- Sorry, the previous post was directed at taxmancometh....— bearsfriend
- Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukkahha Mr. Bowker. If I were you I'd buy a lottery ticket.— bcsk
- Relax people, he's this year's Mike Sweeney. They have a month to see if they think he can help in the post season, if they don't he'll be gone and Dom (two-left-feet) Brown will be back. Either way, Gload is gone.— bcsk
- None of you have seen him play so don't whine.
He might get 3 at bats in the entire playoffs, and does seem to know wha the is doing. At least a move was made. Now replace Ben Fran before midnight and call up Savery.— WFChamps - I believe Amaro thinks? other teams do not have left handed pitchers or will not use them. He does have Martinez, Valdez and Francisco available.— tulsaphil
- baseball is soooo boring!! Go Birds!!— pieman
- Lance Berkman cleared waivers and he is a much better pro hitter, can play LF, RF and 1st. He costs more, so that's probably why he's not here, but he would have been an awesome addition to this team.— scootch
