Through two starts, Bowker has been Vandy’s most consistent starter. Thompson is clearly the Ace, but having a Sunday starter who could potentially be a Saturday guy is a solid position to be in for staff depth.
Bowker’s got tremendous late movement on his two-seam. He hides the ball well in his delivery making 90-92 look like mid 90s plus. This is great for generating strikeouts as well as ground balls. His arm slot is also exactly the same for his breaking ball as his fastball. Many pitchers strive to do this, but only a select few really master it.
Last year, one of Futrell’s issues as the Sunday starter was that his delivery set him up for a lot of hard contact in the air. Also, his breaking ball was not that strong and he was alternating fastball, change up frequently, which is easier for a hitter to time up, compared to a fastball-breaking ball that initially looks the same coming out of the pitcher’s hand.
While Bowker will give up some contact at times, he is not a fly ball pitcher and his delivery and late movement should help him. I look forward to seeing what he can do in conference play.
Bowker’s got tremendous late movement on his two-seam. He hides the ball well in his delivery making 90-92 look like mid 90s plus. This is great for generating strikeouts as well as ground balls. His arm slot is also exactly the same for his breaking ball as his fastball. Many pitchers strive to do this, but only a select few really master it.
Last year, one of Futrell’s issues as the Sunday starter was that his delivery set him up for a lot of hard contact in the air. Also, his breaking ball was not that strong and he was alternating fastball, change up frequently, which is easier for a hitter to time up, compared to a fastball-breaking ball that initially looks the same coming out of the pitcher’s hand.
While Bowker will give up some contact at times, he is not a fly ball pitcher and his delivery and late movement should help him. I look forward to seeing what he can do in conference play.
