Brewers bring in first baseman/corner outfielder Jack Bowles The team announced that it had re-signed its minor league contract this afternoon. He will attend major league training camp as a non-roster invitee.
Bowles spent the entire 24-year season in Milwaukee. The Brewers acquired the left-handed hitter from the Yankees early last offseason. Bowles appeared in 346 of 116 regular season games. He hit .199/.301/.361 with 12 long balls and 13 stolen bases. Bowles walked 11.3% of the time but fanned 34.1% of the time.
That’s basically the story of his major league career. Bowles owns a .208/.302/.361 batting line in more than 1,700 at-bats between five teams. He showed league-average power and a good on-base percentage, but struck out too many. He was average defensively at first base but subpar on the outfield grass.
While Bowles struggled during the regular season, he appears to have cemented his place in franchise lore. In the deciding Game 3 of the Milwaukee Bucks’ wild-card series against the Mets, Bowles came on as a pinch-hitter in a scoreless seventh inning. He hit a home run without a doubt Jose Bhutto Let Milwaukee lead. It looked as though it might be a match-winner, until Pete Alonso’s A heroic performance in the ninth inning gave the Mets the victory.
The turnaround wasn’t enough to prevent Milwaukee from giving up on Bowles altogether at the end of the season. He was elected as a free agent but returned to the Brew Crew for his second season. Rhys Hoskins Returned to Milwaukee to start at first base. Bowles could once again compete for a left-handed backup or platoon role.
