Only a little taste for both the pitcher and the team
Happy Friday everyone! To finish off the work week we got another 2025 Season Review for you guys today. Looking back on left-hander Ben Bowden’s first season in the Athletics’ organization one can’t help but think he’s got something to offer this club in the upcoming 2026 season. Dominance in Triple-A isn’t always an indicator of major league success but the A’s could do worse than a left-hander with some draft pedigree who looks like he could be ready for a jump next year.
How Was He Acquired?
Looking to add some minor league depth to their relief core, the A’s brought Bowden into the fold on a minor league deal last offseason, putting pen to paper on December 9th just over a year ago. They needed relief pitching, but especially left-handed relief pitching.
What Were The Expectations?
The former second-round pick by the pitching-starved Colorado Rockies joined the pro ranks with fairly decent expectations for a reliever drafted that high. He showed immense promise as a relief weapon from the left-side, taking only two years in the minor leagues to reach the cusp of the majors. Unfortunately for him and most other minor leaguers he lost out on playing in 2020, depriving him of his expected call-up for a year. He did get that call the next season though, pitching in 39 games for the Rockies but having some serious rookie struggles. It also doesn’t help pitching in Colorado for the Rockies.
Bowden opened the next year in Triple-A and struggles ultimately led him away from Colorado. He began to bounce around, first to Tampa Bay and then to San Francisco, then Philly’s system and then Atlanta. The left-hander was posting decent enough results in Triple-A but not enough to get back to the big leagues. That is, until he joined the Athletics.
When he was brought aboard there weren’t many left-handers in the big league bullpen so it felt almost guaranteed he would be joining the team at some point with inevitable injuries and ineffectiveness. He was always able to rack up strikeouts and the A’s needed that from the left side of the mound. The hope was that maybe the A’s could catch lightning in a bottle with a former second-rounder who was now 30-years-old and motivated for another shot in the big leagues.
2025 Results
As expected Bowden began the season in Triple-A with the Aviators. His time down there went swimmingly as he was one of the Aviators’ top relief arms out of the ‘pen. Over 31 games Bowden had his best showing at the Triple-A level of his career, pitching to a stellar 1.36 ERA in 31 appearances. His strikeouts fell a bit but he was also walking way less batters and giving up almost no home runs, something that is especially impressive considering what league he was pitching in for the first couple months.
That performance was enough to get him back to the big leagues for the first time in three years. On July 23rd the A’s selected him from Triple-A, inserting him into the bullpen in place of fellow lefty Hogan Harris.
His first two games didn’t go well as he allowed runs in single-inning appearances. After those shaky outings though Bowden looked better, making nine more appearances and allowing just three runs. One of those came off a home run and the other two came in a disaster appearance when he clearly didn’t have his best stuff. The struggles with the walks showed their head again but so too did his ability to miss bats. He was especially tough on lefties, allowing just one hit (though with four walks). Just what he was brought in to do.
Unfortunately for him and the A’s the injury bug that Bowden had generally been able to avoid reared its ugly head. The left-hander suffered a lat strain on his pitching side, ultimately ending his season prematurely and depriving the A’s of a look at an intriguing left-handed relief option.
2026 Outlook
Bowden hit free agency but clearly didn’t like being a free agent. He re-upped with the Athletics soon after the end of the season, signing a minor league deal on November 11th to rejoin the organization. The injury that prematurely ended his season looks like it will be fully healed by the time Spring Training rolls around, and with the lack of left-handed depth in the bullpen right now it feels all but assured that the team will be calling upon Bowden’s services at some point next year.
Category: General Sports
