Kevin Slowey

Infobox MLB player


width = 300
name=Kevin Slowey

position=Starting Pitcher
team=Minnesota Twins
number=59
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1984|5|4
birthplace=city-state|Conroe|Texas
debutdate=June 1
debutyear=2007
debutteam=Minnesota Twins
statyear=2008
stat2label=Earned Run Average
stat2value=4.20
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=16-12
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=170
teams=
*Minnesota Twins (2007-present)

Kevin Michael Slowey (Born May 4, 1984 in Conroe, Texas) is a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. Slowey was selected by the Twins with the 73rd pick in the 2nd round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. Along with young Minnesota Twins starting pitchers Nick Blackburn and Glen Perkins, Slowey is considered to be one of the organizations top young pitchers.

Pitches

Slowey is considered to be a control pitcher and his repertoire includes a low 90s fastball considered to be his best pitch, a good changeup, a good slow curveball, and he will also mix in a tight slider. He is known for his exceptional control and command of the strike zone and is often compared to former Minnesota Twins pitcher Brad Radke, due to his excellent control. Slowey's delivery is much simpler than Radke's; however, mainly due to the absence of Radke's high leg kick. [ [http://quononbaseball.mlblogs.com/archives/2007/05/nathan_haynes_a.html Quon On Minor League Baseball: Nathan Haynes and Kevin Slowey ] ]

College

Coming out of Upper St. Clair High School, Division I schools paid little attention to Slowey and he ended up attending Winthrop University on an academic scholarship after scoring a 1420 on his SAT. He went on to be named as a third-team All-American by Baseball America in 2005 when he had 14-2 record with 126 strikeouts, only 13 walks issued, and a 2.16 ERA. In his three seasons at Winthrop, he set school records with 331 strikeouts and 29 wins.

2007 Season

Slowey ascended rapidly through the Twins minor league system and after failing to make the team as a dark horse candidate out of spring training, he began the 2007 season with the AAA Rochester Red Wings. After a 6-2 start 1.54 ERA, 57 strikeouts, and 5 walks for the Red Wings, he was called up to the Twins and made his Major League debut on June 1, 2007 as a replacement for struggling Ramon Ortiz in the starting rotation.

In his first major league start against the Oakland Athletics, Slowey received a no decision in a Twins 3-2 win. He gave up one run, five hits, struck out three, and walked two in six complete innings. The lone run came off of a solo home run in the sixth inning by the A's Eric Chavez. A highlight of the start occurred early in the game when in the first inning, Slowey showed excellent poise in working out of a bases loaded jam.

In his second start on June 6, 2007 Slowey earned the first win of his MLB career. The win came against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He pitched five innings giving up five runs, four of them earned, striking out two, and walking none as the Twins won 8-5.

After an excellent start against the Atlanta Braves on June 12, 2007, in which he gave up 2 earned runs, Slowey began to struggle through his remaining starts. On July 5, 2007, after giving up 5 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees, Slowey was sent optioned back to the AAA Rochester Red Wings, exchanging his roster spot with Carmen Cali. [ [http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070705&content_id=2068972&vkey=pr_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min The Official Site of The Minnesota Twins: Official Info: Twins option pitcher Kevin Slowey to Triple-A Rochester ] ]

2008 Season

Kevin Slowey pitched 10.2 innings for the Minnesota Twins in spring training, posting a 2-1 record and 5.90 ERA, earning him a spot on the starting rotation. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/springStats?team=min&type=pitch&year=2008 ESPN - MLB Spring Training Stats - Major League Baseball Spring Training Stats ] ]

On April 11, 2008, he was placed on the 15-day DL. On May 8, 2008, he was activated from the DL. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=28692 ESPN - Kevin Slowey Stats, News, Photos - Minnesota Twins ] ]

On May 29, 2008, he pitched his first MLB complete game. In that game against the Kansas City Royals, he was one out away from a shutout as well; however, he up gave an RBI double. In his 101st pitch of the night, he retired the next batter and finished the night with a victory after nine innings of work. [http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_29_minmlb_kcamlb_1]

On June 29, 2008, he pitched his first big league complete shutout game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Through September 24, 2008 he has a 12-11 record with a 3.85 ERA, 23 walks, 120 strikeouts, and a 1.14 WHIP. [ [http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=458713&section1=1&statSet1=1&section2=1&section3=1&statSet3=1&statSet2=1 www.mlb.com individual stats] ]

References

*Kelsie Smith (2007-5-27) [http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_5997464/ Kevin Slowey, control freak. St. Paul Pioneer Press] .

External links

* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/S/Kevin-Slowey.shtml Baseballcube.com Profile]