The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded John Bowker to the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. No word on the return, or if there is a return at all. The Phillies are expected to add Bowker to the 25-man roster. Since he was not on the 40-man roster, he didn’t have to go through waivers to be traded.
He was originally acquired in 2010 along with Joe Martinez in exchange for Javier Lopez. After hitting for a .235/.316/.294 lie in 17 at-bats this year, he was designated for assignment, and outrighted to AAA. He has since hit for a .308/.351/.487 line in 415 at-bats for Indianapolis, with 15 homers.
About Tim Williams
Tim is the owner and editor in chief of Pirates Prospects. He started the site in January 2009, and turned it into his full time job during the 2011 season. Prior to starting Pirates Prospects, Tim worked with AccuScore.com, providing MLB, NHL, and NFL coverage to various national media outlets, including ESPN Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, and the Wall Street Journal. He also writes the annual Prospect Guide, which is sold through the site. Tim moved to Bradenton in 2013, and will be providing live coverage all year of the Bradenton Marauders, GCL Pirates, instructs, mini camp, Spring Training, and lunches at Mixon's Fruit Farms.
August 31, 2011 at 5:40 am
because we have so many players that can hit for power… why not let him compete for a spot in the OF/1B mix next season? are we trying to field a track team and have 7 or 8 guys on the field that can run olympic level 40′s but none that can hit the ball 400 feet?
August 31, 2011 at 12:38 pm
I always liked Bowker and thought he did a good job at pinch hitting. I would’ve rather have seen him come off the bench than X “auto out” Paul.
August 31, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Doubt Bowker would have returned to the Pirates in ’12. He’s getting another shot to prove he can play in the bigs. He’s a ‘tweener but might do well in the midst of a good line-up. Odd that his 2 shots at MLB have been with light hitting teams and now he goes to Philly. I wish him well and hope he hits a ton.
August 31, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Think they’ll give the pirates a top ten prospect player in return???
August 31, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Our front office is retarded sometimes. Given the lack of power in our system and the fact that he’s never really been given a shot really ticks me off. For guys like him and Hague to not get a shot to perform, especially considering how our major league team has hit this season is atrocious, egregious and just plain stupid.