John Bowker (baseball)

Infobox MLB player
name = John Bowker


width = 250
caption =
team = San Francisco Giants
number = 21
positionplain = First baseman / Outfielder
birthdate = birth date and age|1983|7|8
birthplace = city-state|Sacramento|California
bats = Left
throws = Left
debutdate = April 12
debutyear = 2008
debutteam = San Francisco Giants
statyear = September 5, 2008
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .246
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 9
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 40
teams =
*San Francisco Giants (by|2008–present)

John B. Bowker (born July 8, 1983 in city-state|Sacramento|California) is a Major League Baseball corner outfielder and first baseman for the San Francisco Giants. He bats and throws left-handed.

Prior to playing professional baseball, Bowker played for Arden Little League as a Giant. Bowker attended Rio Americano High School in Sacramento and was named All- League in 3 sports after lettering 3 years in baseball, 2 seasons in football and 1 in basketball. He established school single-season records for batting average (.463) hits (41), Home runs (8) and RBI (41). He spent two years at Long Beach State University, before entering draft following sophomore campaign. Batting .323 over that time, he was named to the 1st Team All-Big West after leading the LBSU 49ers to the NCAA Super Regionals in by|2004.

Minor League career

Originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, Bowker signed and began his professional career that very same year. Between time spent with the AZL Giants and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, he played in 41 games, collecting 63 hits in 170 at-bats for a .371 batting average. With the AZL Giants, he hit .512 in 43 at-bats.

He spent the by|2005 season with the High Single-A San Jose Giants. In 121 games, he hit 22 doubles, one triple, and 13 home runs en route to a .267 batting average. In by|2006, he split time between San Jose and the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies. Combined, he hit .285 in 114 games.

Bowker spent all of by|2007 with the Connecticut Defenders, the Giants' Double-A affiliate. In 139 games, he hit .307 with a career highs in home runs (22), RBI (90), doubles (35), and triples (6). Overall, he has hit .296 with 48 home runs and 250 RBI in 415 minor league games.

Major League career

On April 12, mlby|2008, Bowker was promoted to the Majors. He was told late the night before and left Fresno at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, having slept 3 hours, before being inserted into the starting line-up and making his debut with the San Francisco Giants.cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/12/SPCA104OHO.DTL |title=Bowker's big debut the best part of the day
last=Ratto |first=Ray |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |date=2008-04-13 |accessdate=2008-04-13] He singled and hit a three-run home run, becoming the eighth player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a home run in his debut.cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/12/SPCA104OHM.DTL |title=Another crusher for Cain |last=Shea |first=John |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |date=2008-04-13 |accessdate=2008-04-13] The next day, Bowker hit his second home run off Joel Piñeiro to become the first player in San Francisco Giants history to hit a home run in each of his first two Major League games.cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/14/SPFO10508F.DTL |title=Giants' call-up owns HR record=Shulman |first=Henry |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |date=2008-04-14 |accessdate=2008-05-13] On July 2, 2008, Bowker hit a home run into McCovey Cove for his first career Splash Hit.On August 13, he was sent back down to Triple-A Fresno due to a lack of offensive production, until being recalled after rosters expanded in September.

References

External links

Persondata
NAME= Bowker, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Bowker, John B.
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American baseball first baseman/outfielder
DATE OF BIRTH= 1983-7-8
PLACE OF BIRTH= city-state|Sacramento|California, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=