Rob Bowen

NOTEWORTHY: 1999 graduate of Homestead (IN) High School where he played baseball ... All-State selection, 1998-99 ... named USA Today and Gatorade Indiana High School Player of the Year in 1999 ... named third-team All-American in 1999.

CAREER: 2004: Started season with New Britain Rock Cats...recalled to Minnesota Twins April 8...Hit first home run of the season April 9 vs. Detroit Tigers...2002: Began season at Ft. Myers...season-high 4 hits, April 14 vs. Clearwater...hit safely in 6 of 7 games, May 12-21...season-high 5 RBI, June 9 at Brevard...homered in consecutive games, June 28-29...had 10 RBI in 6 games, July 11-18...homered in three consecutive games, July 16-18...season-high 6-game hitting streak, going 9-23 (.391), July 27-August 2...was second on club in home runs and third in runs and RBI...transferred to Quad City, August 29...threw out 29 of 74 (39%) runners attempting to steal on season...played for Phoenix in the Arizona Fall League.

MEDIA:
08/22/04 Bowen is set for fall play
05/11/04 Bowen returns to Cats

Catching comes first for Bowen

Rob Bowen hadn't been swinging a hot bat over the past few days, going 0-for-10 in the stretch with a pair of strikeouts in pinch-hit situations.

But his two-run, two-out single in the second on Monday afternoon sparked the Rochester Red Wings' biggest single-inning outburst in 2 1/2 weeks.

Bowen lined a 3-2 pitch from Trey Hodges (0-1) into right field to tie the score 2-2, and the Wings went on to score three more in the inning en route to a 7-5 victory over the Richmond Braves.

"With two strikes you're just trying to battle and battle and fortunately Trey left a pitch up in the zone," Bowen said.

The clutch hit was nice but the catcher was happier about his work behind the plate. He gunned down two base stealers with perfect throws to second, Scott Pratt in the first and Bill McCarthy to end the third.

"I take pride in my defense," Bowen said. "Anything on offense is a bonus. For me, it's defense first."

Year Club               AVG    G   AB   R   H   2B   3B   HR   RBI   BB   SO   SB   
1999 GCL Twins (R)     .260   29   77  10  20    4    0    0    11   20   15    2  
2000 Elizabethton (R)  .288   21   73  17  21    3    0    4    19   11   18    0  
2001 Quad City (A)     .255  106  385  47  98   18    2   18    70   37  112    4  
2002 Ft. Myers (A)     .184  100  342  52  63   12    1   10    49   38   69    1  
     Quad City (A)     .190    5   21   1   4    1    0    0     0    2    4    0 
2003 New Britain (AA)  .306   42  134  17  41   13    0    1    16   13   24    0
     Rochester (AAA)   .257   30  105  14  27    7    0    6    17   11   25    0
     Minnesota (MLB)   .100    7   10   0   1    0    0    0     1    0    4    0
2004 New Britain (AA)  .197   77  249  28  49   10    0    9    24   31   76    3
     Minnesota (MLB)   .111   17   27   1   3    0    0    1     2    4   10    0