NewsMets add Minor Leaguer to roster
Double-A third baseman Bowman taken by club in 2002 DraftBy Marty Noble / MLB.com
11/05/09 6:16 PM EST
NEW YORK -- The Mets have added Double-A third baseman Shawn Bowman to their 40-man roster.Bowman, who batted .294 with the Binghamton affiliate in the Double-A Eastern League, was brought up and thereby made unavailable for the Rule 5 Draft in December. The move leaves four vacancies on the club's roster, which it can fill at the Draft, via trades, with free-agent signings or reassignments or with other players in the organization.
Bowman, 24, was the Mets' 12th selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. He developed slowly in his first six years as a professional, batting .242 in 1,242 at-bats, all but 113 in Class A. But he produced a career-high average in 347 at-bats with Binghamton in 2009, scoring 42 runs and driving in 44. He had 24 doubles, three triples and nine home runs. He had 25 walks and 101 strikeouts, a high total given his power and run production.
A native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Bowman hit 19 and 17 home runs in 2004 and 2005. However, he has hit merely 17 in 696 subsequent at-bats.
A right-handed hitter, he batted .368 in 106 at-bats against left-handed pitching in 2009.
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
