Newest Twins Pitcher, Darren Bowen, Excited to Join Twins, Get to Work (Twins Spotlight Video)

[Seth Stohs]

If you happen to be at the Twins complex in Fort Myers today and see a long, lanky, right-handed pitcher who looks like he’s only been in the organization for a couple of days, be sure to wish a happy 23rd birthday to Darren Bowen. I recently touched base with the Twins newest pitching prospect about getting traded to the organization and much more. 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

On Monday afternoon in Arizona, right-handed pitcher Darren Bowen was playing a round of golf with some fellow Mariners pitching prospects who were in town for a camp. On the 18th hole, Bowen’s phone was ringing in the cart. He walked over to it, saw the name of the person calling, looked up at his teammates, and said, “I definitely just got traded.” 

His buddies laughed and said he was not getting traded. 

He answered. On the other end of the phone call was Andy McKay, the Mariners assistant GM. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Bowen asked, “Where am I going?”

More chuckling before McKay said, “We’re sending you to Minnesota in the (Jorge) Polanco trade.” 

Over the next 10-15 minutes, he estimates that as many as 10 people from the Twins called to congratulate him and let him know they were excited to have him. 

Bowen’s first phone call went to his girlfriend. After telling her that he had been traded, she told him she had already arranged to fly to Arizona to surprise him for his birthday this weekend. She wasn’t sure if he was messing with her. Ultimately, he was not. 

The Twins gave him the option of going home until the start of spring training or coming straight to Fort Myers. He thought, “I’m already building up. I’m going to get way more out of it. I’m going to learn more about you guys. You guys are going to learn more about me if I’m down there.”

On Wednesday, he flew to Fort Myers, and on Thursday, he went through his first day of work in the Twins organization.  

In our conversation, Bowen said that he heard a lot from the Twins area scout in North Carolina, Ty Dawson, before and even during the draft. Since the trade, some have reported that the Twins were very interested in drafting Bowen on Day 3 of the 2022 draft. 

So, what’s to like? The short answer is, “A lot!” 

One of the first things you notice when watching Bowen pitch is his tremendous athleticism. He currently stands about 6-3 tall and is a lean 183 pounds, though, in college, he was closer to 170 pounds. He also is very competitive. Bowen has some exciting pitches. In the video above, he goes through his pitches and provides velocity ranges, movement, and other analytical data. There was a feeling that he had the potential for growth and development. He was an intriguing prospect from a small town and made good at a Division II college. What could he do working under a player/pitcher development system as advanced as the Twins (and the Mariners)? Bowen is interested in the analysis. He’s excited to work on some mechanical things he had not done while with the Mariners. He wants to take in and use as much of that information as possible to succeed.  

Some that I’ve talked to about Bowen have referenced his “unwavering work ethic” and “determination to excel.” There is a strong self-confidence with Bowen that he can get anyone out, and the example he used was falling behind on a great college hitter 3-0 and then striking him out on three fastballs over the plate. He understands that filling up the strike zone is a good thing. 

You’ll enjoy watching and listening to the Twins Spotlight video with Darren Bowen. Take a listen and leave your comments. Feel free to ask Darren questions, and maybe he’ll even reply. If not, wish him a Happy Birthday!  

 

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[Karbo]

Happy birthday to him. I hope he works his way up the ladder to the majors!

[nclahammer]

I wish him the best, looks like he has plenty of tools.  Hope he can put it all together.

[tcttejtf]

At lest one commenter has suggested that the Twins could not have realistically done better in the Polanco trade. I agree. A veteran starting pitcher, a veteran reliever, a 20-year-old top-100 minor league hitting prospect and Bowen, whose numbers are promising. All in exchange for a switch-hitting and defensively below average second baseman on the last year of his contract.

[miracleb]

Love these articles Seth!

[Guest]

Fits into the frame of the college pitcher type the Twins like to draft, so giddy-up Darren.  And Bowen is listed at 6-3.  Great physique.

[Fatbat]

1 hour ago, tcttejtf said:

At lest one commenter has suggested that the Twins could not have realistically done better in the Polanco trade. I agree. A veteran starting pitcher, a veteran reliever, a 20-year-old top-100 minor league hitting prospect and Bowen, whose numbers are promising. All in exchange for a switch-hitting and defensively below average second baseman on the last year of his contract.

Don’t leave out the $8M cash to pay 2/3 of a salary and 5M in salary room to go sign Santana who immediately replaces Polancos bat. 

[Brett]

Thanks Seth, another great summary of a potential Twin! It seems like we have several college arms that profile as starters. It will be fun following their careers, especially the ones who weren’t high draft picks — they have great stories!

Happy birthday to Darren!

[Dman]

Really nice to see and hear from Bowen about his baseball mentality.  I love the confidence.  Hope he can put on the weight and stay healthy all year as he seems to have the pitches.  The hype appears to be real, hopefully he keeps the pedal to metal and zooms up the levels.

[gman]

Looks like thus could be the best part of the trade package might take a couple years to find out. Keep on building up the minor league pitching depth.

[MN_ExPat]

Have to say, I like this kid 😊.  Reminds me a lot of my son when he talks about baseball and pitching.

Sounds like he has a pretty good head on his shoulders as well. Godspeed young man. Welcome to the Twins!

[joefish]

15 hours ago, nclahammer said:

I wish him the best, looks like he has plenty of tools.  Hope he can put it all together.

Phil Nikro had tools.

[nicksaviking]

Really dang great stuff Seth. Impressive interview, you don't usually get this kind of repartee with a new prospect. Awesome initiative to reach out to him. Looking forward to seeing this guy advance, I'm confident we'll see him at Target Field.

The Twins have crushed drafting guys in this area of the draft lately. I'm not surprised he was on the Twins radar before he was ever a pro.

[Doctor Wu]

21 hours ago, miracleb said:

Love these articles Seth!

I also love these articles! This one gives us an especially good overview of Bowen and what we can expect. After the trade was made, he seemed like a "lesser" part of the package, but after reading more about him I'm excited. Plus, he seems to have a great attitude and work ethic. Make it happen!

[nclahammer]

6 hours ago, joefish said:

Phil Nikro had tools.

And Phil Niekro (spelled correctly) is in the Hall of Fame.

[big dog]

7 hours ago, joefish said:

Phil Nikro had tools.

Joe was the one with the tool belt that he wore on a talk show after his suspension (Letterman?).