Jeremy Sowers

Infobox MLB player
name = Jeremy Sowers


width = 200
caption =
team = Cleveland Indians
number = 45
position = Starting pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1983|5|17
birthplace = city-state|St. Clairsville|Ohio
bats = Left
throws = Left
debutdate = June 25
debutyear = 2006
debutteam = Cleveland Indians
statyear = 2008 season
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 12-19
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 5.14
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 123
teams =
*Cleveland Indians (by|2006-present)

Jeremy Bryan Sowers (born May 17, 1983 in St. Clairsville, Ohio) is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. He 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 features a fastball with which he varies the speed between about 85 and 92 mph, a curveball, a slider that cuts in on right-handed batters, and a changeup. [cite news |author=Kline, Chris |title=Sowers shows consistency for Indians |url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/050330dish.html |publisher=Baseball America |date=2005-03-30 |accessdate=2007-03-12]

High school and college

Sowers tossed 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. [cite news |title=2006 Cleveland Indians Media Guide |url=http://pressbox.mlb.com/pressbox/downloads/y2006/cle/players_m_w.pdf |format=PDF |pages=239-240 |accessdate=2007-03-12] 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 opted to attend Vanderbilt University where he was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team following the by|2002 season [cite news |title=Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American team |url=http://www.baseballnews.com/allamericans/archives/2002/frallamericans2002.htm |publisher=Collegiate Baseball |date=2002-06-05 |accessdate=2007-03-12] and to their by|2004 pre-season All-American team. [cite news |title=Louisville Slugger pre-season All-American baseball teams |url=http://www.baseballnews.com/allamericans/archives/2004/allamericanspreseason2004.htm |publisher=Collegiate Baseball |date=2003-12-19 |accessdate=2007-03-12] He was second team All-SEC as both a sophomore [cite news |title=Hill, Marchbanks, Laval, Head Earn SEC Baseball Honors |url=http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=5&url_article_id=1681&change_well_id=2 |publisher=SECSports.com |date=2003-05-19 |accessdate=2007-03-12] and a junior [cite news |title=SEBaseball.com Announces 2004 All-SEC Team |url=http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=5&url_article_id=3940&change_well_id=2 |publisher=SECSports.com |date=2004-05-18 |accessdate=2007-03-12] and was also selected second team All-South Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association as a sophomore. [cite news |title=2004 ABCA & Rawlings NCAA Division I All-Region |url=http://www.abca.org/topnav/awards/All-Region%20Teams/2004%20Ncaa%20Div%20I%20All-Region.html |publisher=American Baseball Coaches Association |accessdate=2007-03-12]

After his junior year at Vanderbilt, the Indians made Sowers 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. [cite news |author=Kline, Chris |title=Top Ten Prospects: Cleveland Indians |url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/04top10s/indians.html |publisher=Baseball America |date=2004-11-22 |accessdate=2007-03-12] 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 by|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. [cite news |first=Anthony |last=Castrovince |title=Tribe honors Minors' Mulhern, Sowers |url=http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051208&content_id=1279361&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle |publisher=MLB.com |date=2005-12-08 |accessdate=2007-03-12] "Baseball America" named him the #2 prospect in the Indians organization, [cite news |author=Kline, Chris |title=Top Ten Prospects: Cleveland Indians |url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/05top10s/indians.html |publisher=Baseball America |date=2006-01-23 |accessdate=2007-03-12] the #6 prospect in the Carolina League [cite news |author=Kline, Chris |title=2005 Top 20 Prospects: Carolina League |url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/05league20s/car.html |publisher=Baseball America |date=2005-09-29 |accessdate=2007-03-12] and the #8 prospect in the Eastern League. [cite news |author=Matthews, Alan |title=2005 Top 20 Prospects: Eastern League |url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/05league20s/eas.html |publisher=Baseball America |date=2005-10-03 |accessdate=2007-03-12]

In by|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. [cite news |author=Eddy, Matt |title=International League Top 20 Prospects List |url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/262618.html |publisher=Baseball America |date=2006-10-11 |accessdate=2007-03-12]

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, mlby|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 gem against the Seattle Mariners—becoming the first Indians rookie to throw back-to-back shutouts since Dick Tidrow in mlby|1972. [cite news |title=Indians' Sowers pitches second consecutive shutout in 1-0 win |url=http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/recap/MLB_20060728_SEA@CLE |publisher=Associated Press |date=2006-07-28 |accessdate=2007-03-12] 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 mlby|2007. [cite news |first=Anthony |last=Castrovince |title=Indians Spring Training quick hits |url=http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070131&content_id=1790859&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle |publisher=MLB.com |date=2007-02-02 |accessdate=2007-03-12] 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. [cite web
url=http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070610&content_id=2017763&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle
title=Sowers sent to Triple-A
accessdate=2007-06-13
last=Castrovince
first=Anthony
date=June 10, 2007
publisher=MLB.com]

References

External links

*baseball-reference|id=s/sowerje01
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=460265 MLB.com player info page]
* [http://thebaseballcube.com/players/S/Jeremy-Sowers.shtml The Baseball Cube player page]

Persondata
NAME=Sowers, Jeremy Bryan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Major League baseball player
DATE OF BIRTH=May 17, 1983
PLACE OF BIRTH=St. Clairsville, Ohio, Ohio
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=