Primary Positions: Right field, left field
Birthplace: Wilmington
First, Middle Names: Samuel Edward Jr.
Date of Birth: March 23, 1938 Date and Place of Death: March 28, 2003, Wilmington
Burial: Greenlawn Memorial Park, Wilmington
High School: Williston High School, Wilmington
College: Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn.
Bats: R Throws: R Height and Weight: 6-1, 195
Debut Year: 1963 Final Year: 1969 Years Played: 7
Teams and Years: Baltimore Orioles, 1963-67; Washington Senators, 1968-69
Career Summary
G AB H R RBI HR BA. OBP. SLG. WAR
479 1287 287 141 143 45 .223 .283 .375 0.0
Much was expected of Sam Bowens when he joined the Baltimore Orioles at their spring training camp in Miami, Florida, in 1964. He had been a star athlete in high school and college and had hit .346 in the minors the previous year before pulling a groin muscle in July and struggling through the rest of season. He hit with power and played the outfield with grace. His throwing arm was a weapon that base runners respected. Bowens would team with Boog Powell, another powerful youngster, to give the Orioles a potent, lasting tandem.
“You don’t give up on a guy like that,” manager Hank Bauer said that spring, “not at least until the day after tomorrow.”[I]
