Jeremy Sowers

Jeremy Bryan Sowers (born May 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current executive. He is currently the manager of major league operations for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Jeremy Sowers
Sowers with the Cleveland Indians
Tampa Bay Rays
Pitcher / Manager of operations
Born: (1983-05-17) May 17, 1983
St. Clairsville, Ohio
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 25, 2006, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 2009, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Win–loss record18–30
Earned run average5.18
Strikeouts174
Teams
As player

As executive

Sowers during his tenure with the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliates of the Cleveland Indians, in 2008.

Sowers grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, where he attended Ballard High School. His twin brother, Joshua Sowers, formerly played in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Sowers' pitching repertoire featured a fastball with which he varied the speed between about 85 and 92 mph, a curveball, a slider that cuts in on right-handed batters, and a changeup.[1]

High school and college

Sowers threw four no-hitters in high school. In both his junior and his senior year at Ballard, he led the team to consecutive appearances in the state high school championship game and was named All-State, All-Section, All-Region and County Player of the Year. As a senior, he was named to Baseball America's National High School All-American team, Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, Mr. Kentucky Baseball and Kentucky High School Coaches Association Athlete of the Year.[2] He was selected out of high school with the 20th overall pick in the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Rather than sign with the Reds, Sowers chose to attend Vanderbilt University where he was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team following the 2002 season[3] and to their 2004 pre-season All-American team.[4] He was second team All-SEC as both a sophomore[5] and a junior[6] and was also selected second team All-South Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association as a sophomore.[7]

In 2003, Sowers played collegiate summer baseball for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). A league all-star, he posted a 1.20 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. Sowers was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2017.[8]

After his junior year at Vanderbilt, the Indians selected Sowers with the 6th overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft and he signed with them for a $2.475 million signing bonus, the third highest bonus in club history.[9] During the 2005–06 offseason, he was granted permission by the club to return to Vanderbilt to complete his political science degree.

Minor leagues

Sowers split most of the 2005 season between the Indians' Single-A (Kinston) and Double-A (Akron) farm teams, compiling a combined 13–4 record and 2.40 ERA. He finished 2005 with a single start for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in which he was credited with a win. He was named the Indians Minor League Pitcher of the Year (Bob Feller Award) for the 2005 season.[10] Baseball America named him the #2 prospect in the Indians organization,[11] the #6 prospect in the Carolina League[12] and the #8 prospect in the Eastern League.[13] He was named the Indians' 2005 Minor League Player of the Year (receiving the "Lou Boudreau Award").[14]

In 2006, he was a non-roster invitee at the Indians' spring training, but did not make the club's Opening Day roster, beginning the season with Buffalo. In 15 starts for the Bisons, he picked up where he left off in 2005, posting a sterling 9–1 record and 1.39 ERA. Baseball America named him the #3 prospect in the International League.[15]

Major leagues

Sowers' performance for Buffalo in 2006 earned him a promotion to Cleveland on June 20 where he made his major league debut against the Reds on June 25, taking the loss (5 IP, 4 ERs, 5 Hs, 2 HRs, 3 SOs, 2 BBs). He tossed his first major league complete game shutout on July 22, 2006, against the Minnesota Twins, allowing 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. Six days later, he threw another shutout—this one a 1–0 game against the Seattle Mariners—becoming the first Indians rookie to throw back-to-back shutouts since Dick Tidrow in 1972.[16] In his next start against Boston, he extended his scoreless inning streak to 22 before yielding an RBI double in the fifth inning.

Sowers was projected to be the Indians' fourth starter in 2007.[17] When Cliff Lee was injured during spring training, Sowers was bumped up to the third spot in the starting rotation. However, he struggled through the first two months of the season (1–6, 6.93 ERA in 12 starts) and was demoted to Buffalo on June 10.[18]

During spring training in 2009, Sowers competed for the fifth starting pitcher slot; he was not selected and was sent down to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.[19]

On March 31, 2010, after failing to secure a spot in the major league starting rotation, Sowers was sent outright to Triple-A Columbus and removed from the Indians' 40-man roster. Suffering with a sore shoulder for most of the season, Sowers was finally placed on the disabled list on August 14, 2010 and did not play for the remainder of the 2010 season.[20]

Post playing career

After playing Independent baseball he earned his MBA and worked corporate strategy for Wal-Mart before returning to baseball with the Baltimore Orioles.

He served as an assistant in the Tampa Bay Rays baseball operation department. In February 2020, when James Click left the Rays to become the general manager of the Houston Astros, Sowers was promoted to manager of major league operations.[21]

Sowers and his wife, Ashley, have two daughters.[22]

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References
  1. Kline, Chris (March 30, 2005). "Sowers shows consistency for Indians". Baseball America. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  2. "2006 Cleveland Indians Media Guide" (PDF). pp. 239–240. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  3. "Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American team". Collegiate Baseball. June 5, 2002. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  4. "Louisville Slugger pre-season All-American baseball teams". Collegiate Baseball. December 19, 2003. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  5. "Hill, Marchbanks, Laval, Head Earn SEC Baseball Honors". SECSports.com. May 19, 2003. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  6. "SEBaseball.com Announces 2004 All-SEC Team". SECSports.com. May 18, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  7. "2004 ABCA & Rawlings NCAA Division I All-Region". American Baseball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  8. "Eight Former Greats to Enter Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  9. Kline, Chris (November 22, 2004). "Top Ten Prospects: Cleveland Indians". Baseball America. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  10. Castrovince, Anthony (December 8, 2005). "Tribe honors Minors' Mulhern, Sowers". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  11. Kline, Chris (January 23, 2006). "Top Ten Prospects: Cleveland Indians". Baseball America. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  12. Kline, Chris (September 29, 2005). "2005 Top 20 Prospects: Carolina League". Baseball America. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  13. Matthews, Alan (October 3, 2005). "2005 Top 20 Prospects: Eastern League". Baseball America. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  14. "Minor League Player of the Year by Team". The Baseball Cube. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  15. Eddy, Matt (October 11, 2006). "International League Top 20 Prospects List". Baseball America. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  16. "Indians' Sowers pitches second consecutive shutout in 1–0 win". Associated Press. July 28, 2006. Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  17. Castrovince, Anthony (February 2, 2007). "Indians Spring Training quick hits". MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  18. Castrovince, Anthony (June 10, 2007). "Sowers sent to Triple-A". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  19. Indians Send Sowers, 6 Others to Minors NY Times, March 24, 2009
  20. Massie, Jim (August 29, 2010). "Clippers leading Indianapolis". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  21. Topkin, Marc. "How the Rays will replace Astros-bound James Click". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  22. http://www.tbo.com/sports/rays/rays-scout-sowers-thrilled-to-be-back-in-baseball-20160418/
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