Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | KC | RHP | 18 | 40 |
Grades Update: May 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | SL | CH | Ctr/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 60 | 55 | 40 | 60/50 |
May 2021 Report
Evaluator: Trevor Hooth
Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-6
Weight: 240 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 Round 2
RuleV: 2021
Physical Description: Big bodied with sloping shoulders. The frame is maxed out, physically.
Delivery & Mechanics: Standard 3/4 arm slot. Easy, fluid arm action and delivery. Hands start separated, glove at the shoulder and throwing hand behind the body. They meet belt high before the windup starts. On the rocker step, Bowlan brings the hands over his head and back down to chest height where they meet his knee on the leg kick. Stays tall as he extends out. Uses size well to get good extension. Finishes with a leg kick and slightly closed off to the plate.
Fastball: A tooled up athlete with enough supporting skills to cover the hole in his game, contact. McConnell will likely always swing and miss, but it's a matter of further refining his approach and reining in his aggressive tendencies. Fits best as a multi-positional utility player with some thump in the bat. If he can improve his contact and approach he might push for second division regular status. Grade: 60
Slider: Low 80's. Tight, gyro movement. This pitch plays to righties and lefties. It's what he uses most often as a secondary offering. By itself, it looks like an average pitch, but his great control means the slider will play above average. Grade: 55
Changeup: Some fade. This is a change of pace pitch that rarely is used, generally against lefties. He's shown some feel for it. Development of this pitch might be the difference between a bullpen and rotation future. Grade: 40
Control and Command: As walk numbers prove, his control is very good. It helps him to move his pitches all around the zone with relatively high success. There are times, however, where he can miss his spot and it hurts him. Especially with as much as he relies on his fastball specifically. The control is plus, the command looks more average for now. The slider might be the pitch he commands best at present. Control: 60 | Command: 50
Overall: Bowlan is a big, physical presence on the mound. Without a third pitch and with such a heavy reliance on the fastball, his rotation future is not a given. He's got the size to handle that kind of workload, but he might be served better as a very good reliever. If his fastball can play at the upper end of his velo range, the slider will play up and his control would be an asset. That might be the best route. The Royals will continue to develop him as a starter, so the development of his changeup will be key.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Spot Starter or Bulk Reliever
Risk: High
