another young red sox pitcher on the rise

in a week when the minds of baseball fans in new england and across the country are focused on the annual all-star game ... on an all-star game at yankee stadium in the final season of the house that ruth built ... it is easy for a routine minor league transaction to go unnoticed ... but yesterday, 21 year old right-handed pitcher michael bowden was promoted from the portland sea dogs (aa) to the pawtucket red sox (aaa) ... bowden's numbers up in portland have been impressive ... 19 starts, 9-4 won-loss record, 2.33 earned run average, 104.1 innings pitched, 72 hits, 24 walks, 101 strikeouts and a .191 opposing hitter's batting average

for those unfamiliar with the name michael bowden ... he was drafted by boston in the first round (47th overall with compensatory for the loss of derek lowe) of the 2005 amateur draft out of waubonsie valley high school (il) ... currently, baseball america rates bowden as the red sox #3 prospect, behind first baseman lars anderson (who was also promoted yesterday from the lancaster jet hawks (a) to portland) and outfielder ryan kalish ... and many scouts believe bowden has the greatest future potential ("top-of-the-rotation ceiling" with 3 major league "plus" pitches) of all the young pitchers developed by the red sox minor league system during the theo epstein era ... and that group includes some pretty impressive names ... papelbon, lester, buchholz, masterson, hansen and delcarmen

michael bowden may get a call to make the 45 minute trip up the merloni highway (i95 between providence and boston) for a spot start before this summer is over ... or we may get a look at him in september ... but whether it's 2008 or 2009, 21 year old michael bowden is rising fast through the red sox system ... and his rookie year with the boston red sox is not far away

note: the big show crew will be in pawtucket on thursday, july 17th (2:oo pm - 6:00 pm) to coincide with the beginning of big papi's rehab assignment ... maybe glenn and the boys (buckley and merloni i believe) will get to chat with michael bowden ... and our other hot shot pitching prospect justin masterson