Benjamin Ramon Rowen (born November 15, 1988) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

former

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and current

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

and coach. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, and Los Angeles Angels. After his retirement as a player, he joined the Angels organization as an advance scout.

Early life

Rowen was born in

Dunedin, Florida Dunedin is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from ''Dùn Èideann'', the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Dunedin is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area and is ...

to Michael and Darlene Rowen. He lived with his family in East Aurora, New York between the ages of two and nine. The family thereafter moved to California where Michael Rowen worked for

Moog Inc. Moog ( ) is an American-based designer and manufacturer of electric, electro-hydraulic and hydraulic motion, controls and systems for applications in aerospace, defense, industrial and medical devices. The company operates under four segments: a ...

As a freshman at

Palos Verdes High School Palos Verdes High School (PVHS) is one of three public high schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, Southern California, USA (the others being Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (formerly Rolling Hills High School) and Rancho ...

in Palos Verdes, California, Rowen dropped his arm angle and became a

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

pitcher. After high school he pitched at Los Angeles Harbor College for two years before transferring to

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

. In 2009, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the Cotuit Kettleers of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

Professional career

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers selected Rowen in the 22nd round of the

2010 Major League Baseball draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

. He made his professional debut for the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

that year. In 33

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

he had a 1.09

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

and 30 strikeouts. Pitching for the Hickory Crawdads in 2011, Rowen had a 1.98 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 59 innings. In 2012, while pitching for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Rowen was the MiLB Relief Pitcher of the Year. For the season he had a 1.57 ERA, 19 saves and 52 strikeouts in innings. In 2013, he was invited to the Rangers

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. He started the season with the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

. He was promoted to the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

in July. Rowen was called up to the majors for the first time on June 11, 2014, and he made his major league debut on June 15, pitching a scoreless inning of relief against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. In eight appearances out of the bullpen he had a 4.15 ERA. The Rangers designated him for assignment on December 16, 2014 and he was released a few days later.

Baltimore Orioles

Rowen signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

on January 20, 2015, that included an invitation to spring training. The Dodgers assigned him to the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, but before the minor league season started he was traded to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

(along with minor league catcher Chris O'Brien) in exchange for

Ryan Webb Ryan Christopher Webb (born February 5, 1986) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He has pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Florida / Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and ...

, minor league catcher Brian Ward, and a competitive balance draft pick. He opted out of his contract on July 1, 2015.

Chicago Cubs

Rowen signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

on July 5, 2015. He was called up on July 29, but was designated for assignment two days later without making an appearance.

Toronto Blue Jays

On August 3, 2015, Rowen was claimed off waivers by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and assigned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. He was invited to Major League spring training, and optioned to minor league camp on March 13. On August 1, 2016 Rowen was designated for assignment.

Milwaukee Brewers

Rowen was claimed off waivers by the

on August 4, 2016. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster on November 9.

New York Mets

Rowen was signed by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

on December 15, 2016 to a minor-league deal. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 19, 2018, Rowen signed a minor league deal with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. He was released on May 9, 2018.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On June 3, 2018, Rowen signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

Atlanta Braves

On January 18, 2019, Rowen signed a minor league deal with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. On July 19, 2019, he pitched in the Triple-A All-Star Game. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Los Angeles Angels

On December 14, 2020, Rowen signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels. On April 12, 2021, Rowen was selected to the active roster. He made his Angels debut that day, his first major league appearance since 2016, throwing 1 shutout inning. After allowing 8 runs in 11.1 innings, Rowen was designated for assignment on May 5. On May 8, after clearing waivers, he was outrighted to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. On October 14, Rowen elected free agency.

Post-playing career

On December 10, 2021, Rowen announced his retirement from professional baseball, and joined the Los Angeles Angels in an advanced scouting position.

Pitching style

Rowen pitched with a

-style delivery. Rowen threw three pitches: a

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

, a slider, and a changeup. He was compared to former submarine reliever

Chad Bradford Chadwick Lee Bradford (born September 14, 1974) is an American former professional relief pitcher. He was well known for his extreme submarine-style pitching, and his success in Major League Baseball (MLB) despite his unconventional delivery and ...

due to their low fastball velocity. Rowen's fastball topped out between . In 2021, Rowen switched to an overhand pitching delivery.

References

External links

Virginia Tech Hokies bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowen, Ben 1988 births Living people People from Rancho Palos Verdes, California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers Texas Rangers players Milwaukee Brewers players Los Angeles Angels players Los Angeles Harbor Seahawks baseball players Virginia Tech Hokies baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players Spokane Indians players Hickory Crawdads players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Surprise Saguaros players Frisco RoughRiders players Round Rock Express players Bowie Baysox players Iowa Cubs players Norfolk Tides players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Las Vegas 51s players Sugar Land Skeeters players Louisville Bats players Mississippi Braves players Gwinnett Stripers players Arizona Complex League Angels players Salt Lake Bees players