Minnesota rookie
Twins Catcher, Rob Bowen, was born on February 24, 1981
in Bedford, Texas. He played baseball at Homestead High
School (IN) and was selected All-State and Indiana High
School Player- of-the-Year in 1999. Rob Bowen was 22
years old when he broke into the big leagues on September
1, 2003 with the Minnesota Twins.
In 2003, he began the season at
New Britain where he hit .306-1-16. He was promoted
to Rochester in June and recorded an 8-game hitting
streak. He also hit homeruns in consecutive games and
five of his six home runs tied or gave the Red Wings
the lead. He was recalled to Minnesota on August 20
and made his major league debut, September 9 vs. Anaheim.
He made his first major league hit, off of Jamie Walker,
September 26 at Detroit.
In 2004, he again began the season at
New Britain where he recorded another 8-game hitting
streak. He hit homeruns twice in consecutive games and
threw out 22 of 59 (37%) runners attempting to steal.
He played for Grand Canyon in the Arizona Fall League.
Despite some success in the minors, Rob
is still a mid-level Twins prospect. Rob is likely destined
for Triple-A after the signing of Mike Redmond and the
expected return of super-star Joe Mauer. Rob struggles
making consistent contact and didn't distinguish himself
in the Arizona Fall League. He focuses himself on his
defense saying "I take pride in my defense,"
Bowen said. "Anything on offense is a bonus. For
me, it's defense first." Unfortunately for him,
the Twins need the defense and a super strong bat.
Rob does have decent pop, but he is stuck about five
deep on the Twins' depth chart. He might eventually
develop into a decent major-league catcher down the
road, but not this year.
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