RealGM

While most of the focus at Double-A Portland this year has been on the outstanding performance of Justin Masterson as well as his impressive pro debut in a spot start for a flu-ridden big league team, don't forget about Michael Bowden. Last year, Bowden was one of the few arms to rise to the challenge of pitching effectively at High-A Lancaster, though he was inconsistent following a promotion to Double-A, where he was one of the youngest pitchers in the league. Back in the Eastern League this year, Bowden has pitched much better than his 3.70 ERA, and in his last outing he fired six shutout innings while striking out 11. One scout who recently saw the 21-year-old pitch both this year and last has seen nothing short of a transformation. "He's a totally different guy now," said the scout. "First off, he's in better shape--a more slender, tapered build. And while last year he was in the upper 80s when I saw him, this year he sat at 94 mph--and I mean just parked there--his low was 93, and he backed it up with a 12-to-6 hammer curve." The 2005 supplemental first-round pick has always gotten poor reviews for his mechanics, and while the scout understood where the concerns came from, he didn't share the same long-term concerns. "He's going to turn off scouts on first view," explained the evaluator. "His arm action is a little jerky, his delivery is stiff and rigid, and that could scare you, but it never changes. He repeats it every time and it's just what he does--so it's not so bad."

While most of the focus at Double-A Portland this year has been on the outstanding performance of Justin Masterson as well as his impressive pro debut in a spot start for a flu-ridden big league team, don't forget about Michael Bowden. Last year, Bowden was one of the few arms to rise to the challenge of pitching effectively at High-A Lancaster, though he was inconsistent following a promotion to Double-A, where he was one of the youngest pitchers in the league. Back in the Eastern League this year, Bowden has pitched much better than his 3.70 ERA, and in his last outing he fired six shutout innings while striking out 11. One scout who recently saw the 21-year-old pitch both this year and last has seen nothing short of a transformation. "He's a totally different guy now," said the scout. "First off, he's in better shape--a more slender, tapered build. And while last year he was in the upper 80s when I saw him, this year he sat at 94 mph--and I mean just parked there--his low was 93, and he backed it up with a 12-to-6 hammer curve." The 2005 supplemental first-round pick has always gotten poor reviews for his mechanics, and while the scout understood where the concerns came from, he didn't share the same long-term concerns. "He's going to turn off scouts on first view," explained the evaluator. "His arm action is a little jerky, his delivery is stiff and rigid, and that could scare you, but it never changes. He repeats it every time and it's just what he does--so it's not so bad."

Bleeding Green wrote:Already enough starters in AAA and I don't think he'd accept designation to Pawtucket. Maybe when Bartolo is called up it could work out.