Dustin Fowler excited for fresh start, chance to compete for outfield job with the Pirates

Mar. 8—Join the conversation

()

Dustin Fowler's once-promising career had bottomed out when the former top-100 prospect was designated for assignment by the Oakland A's, so he was excited to get the call about the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates traded cash considerations for Fowler, giving the 26-year-old outfielder the opportunity to join an open competition for the starting job in center field and something he desperately needed.

A fresh chance.

"I was excited to get the call that said the Pirates were going to give me an opportunity," Fowler said. "I mean, that was the biggest thing I was asking for, was just a team to pick me up and give me an opportunity."

Fowler is making the most of it, batting .400 (2 for 5) in his first two Grapefruit League games with the Pirates. He served as the designated hitter and batted leadoff Saturday against the New York Yankees, hitting a line-drive single to right field in the fourth inning of a 3-2 win. Fowler started in left field Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, when he hit a three-run double in the fourth inning of a 13-1 win.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton was excited to see Fowler get off to a good start, considering how his career has been marred by setbacks.

"The kid has had a tough road," Shelton said. "He got hurt in his major league debut, then was traded."

Drafted in the 18th round by the Yankees in 2013, Fowler was the No. 98 prospect in baseball when he was promoted to the majors. After a nearly three-hour delay in his debut June 29, 2017 — and an inning before his first MLB at-bat — Fowler crashed into the sharp edge of an electrical box in right-field foul territory against the Chicago White Sox and had an open rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee.

The Yankees traded Fowler and two other prospects to the A's a month later for pitcher Sonny Gray. Fowler said the back-to-back blows "backtracked" his once-promising career.

"It was definitely a struggle," Fowler said. "No one wants to start their major league career that way, and I think it's played a big role in how my career has gone."

At Triple-A Nashville, Fowler slashed .341/.364/.520 with 17 doubles, six triples, four home runs and 27 RBIs and got the call-up to the majors. In 69 games with the A's, he batted .224 with six homers and 23 RBIs. Plate discipline, however, became a big issue for Fowler. He had 41 strikeouts and drew only nine walks in Nashville and had 47 strikeouts and eight walks (23.2%) with the A's.

Fowler hasn't made it back to the majors since. He spent the entire 2019 season at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he hit .277/.333/.477 with 22 doubles, seven triples, 25 home runs and 89 RBIs in 130 games, striking out at a 23.9% rate. Fowler was stunned when he didn't receive a September call-up to the A's despite being "completely healthy."

"That was a big shock for me," Fowler said, "not getting the call in that season after having such a good season and such a big step for me that I've been working on for a long time."

Fowler believes his power came from his newfound patience at the plate. He had a reputation as an aggressive hitter who came out swinging, which led to his high strikeout rate and low number of walks. So he made a habit of taking the first pitch.

"I've always been a guy who's going to be in and out of the at-bat in two or three pitches," Fowler said, "so it was a big step for me to be able to see more pitches, get my walks up and I think it allowed me to see more pitches in the zone and be able to pick a certain pitch and drive it."

Fowler sees the Pirates as a perfect opportunity to earn a starting job in center or back up Bryan Reynolds in left and Gregory Polanco in right. Fowler said center field is his favorite position, even though he has roamed all over the three outfield spots with the Yankees and A's.

"I'm just, hopefully, going to get a fresh start and put it behind me," Fowler said. "I mean, the biggest goal is to kind of not have to think about it again and it be on the backburner, so, hopefully, I can do that here. I think there's a great opportunity."

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter .