A's Sign Former Colorado Rockies Left-Hander

Jason Burke | Dec 17, 2024

Aug 15, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Ben Bowden (51) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Athletics keep adding arms this winter. Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs have been the two big additions for the club, but they have also been sneakily adding to their depth all winter, with the latest addition being lefty reliever Ben Bowden, who was most recently in the Atlanta Braves system.

Bowden was originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft with the No. 45 overall pick out of Vanderbilt. Now, at age 30, Bowden has bounced around a bit in recent years, going from the Rockies to the Tampa Bay Rays in April of 2022 on a waiver claim, then he ended up in the San Francisco Giants' system in July of that year.

That offseason he elected free agency and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Bowden would elect free agency again the following year, and signed on with the Atlanta Braves in November of 2023.

On the one hand, there have been a number of clubs that are thought of as having great pitching development, most notably Tampa Bay and Atlanta, that have sought his services. On the other hand, they have also let him walk without much of a difference in his results. His FIP has been at least 4.42 at each stop along the way since 2022, while his ERA has fluctuated anywhere from 2.45 to 8.22.

In 29 innings with Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate last season, he posted a 4.03 ERA with a 4.91 FIP while striking out 27.1% of hitters and walking 13.2%.

In short, the strikeout rates seem to be why numerous teams have been interested in him, but the double-digit walk rates at every level since 2019 look to be why they've moved on. Anytime you see a pitcher with great strikeout stuff and poor control, you're hoping you can turn them into the next Robbie Ray. So far, that has not been the case.

Bowden made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2021, getting into 39 games spanning 35 2/3 innings, while posting a 6.56 ERA (4.85 FIP). One reason this is a particularly interesting signing for the A's specifically is that they have made a habit of targeting pitchers with ground ball rates that are typically above 50%. That has not been the case at any point of Bowden's pro career.

In that big-league stint in '21, his ground ball rate sat at 24.1%, and last season with the Gwinnett Stripers it was a modest 39.2%, though that was 10% higher than it was the previous year with the Phillies.

Throughout the 2024 campaign, Bowden was sitting 91-94 miles per hour with his fastball and also utilized an 80-83 mph slider to both lefties and righties. The velocity on the slider ticked up as the season went on, reaching 84 mph in his final outing with Gwinnett on July 11. The southpaw also tossed a changeup on occasion, but he sat mostly four-seamer and slider this past season.

With T.J. McFarland being the only left-hander in the bullpen that isn't also seen as a long relief option, there could be a spot for Bowden with the A's in 2025, depending on what other moves they make as the season gets closer.

The one impediment for him will be that command and his lack of keeping the ball on the ground, at least initially. The Athletics could discover that the ballpark doesn't play as hitter friendly as they could be expecting, which would make Bowden a more viable option for them.

Bowden has one option year remaining, so if he is added to the 40-man roster, the team would have the ability to option him to the minors without first subjecting him to waivers.