Darren Bowen ready to make his mark in Minnesota following Jorge Polanco trade
Before last week, Darren Bowen may not have been a prospect many knew about. However, that changed when the UNC Pembroke product was traded from the Mariners to the Twins in the Jorge Polanco deal.
“ I was golfing,” said Bowen. “ Me and a couple of buddies were out on hole 18 hitting our approach shots and my phone was in the cart ringing and I didn’t hear it, my cart partner did. He said your phone is ringing and I looked at it. I didn’t have the number saved because you don’t talk to the GM if you're a minor leaguer. The caller ID was on and it said McKay and knowing Andy Mckay is the assistant GM I knew I got traded. I answered and got straight to it. I said where are you sending me. He kind of chuckled and said we were sending you to Minnesota in the Polanco trade.”
While Bowen only has one minor league season under his belt, he impressed every time he stepped on the mound. In 19 games, the former 13th-round pick posted a 3.88 ERA. He also struck out 59 batters while only allowing two home runs.
With the Twins looking to add young pitching, Bowen's performance stood out. Recognizing other's high expectations, Bowen is ready to make a name for himself with his new organization.
"I'm just going to keep getting better, I can tell you that," said Bowen. I work hard, and I think I am an exciting prospect to have in any organization because my ceiling can be high. Just know that it might take some time, but I will go off. It might not be this year, but there will be some good times coming up."
In Bowen, Minnesota has added a pitcher with an arsenal that is still developing. His fastball tops out in the mid-90s. He also has a slider with the potential to be above average.
Although Bowen’s Twins tenure is less than a week old, he has not wasted time building connections within his new organization.
“ I’ve got so many numbers on my phone that I’ve been trying to save,” said Bowen." They have a lot of pitchers here for camp. I am still waking up everyday like man I’m with the Twins now. I’m still processing everything and learn how they like to do things. We are just really starting to get after it down here.”
As long as Bowen continues to build on his success from last year, the Twins future is bright with another promising arm in the mix.
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