EVERETT — The right-center field fence at Everett Memorial Stadium juts in from the remaining outfield wall and provides an inviting target for left-handed hitters to drive it over the short porch for a home run, or off the fence for an extra-base hit.
Right-handed hitters with the ability to drive the ball into the opposite-field gap also can take advantage of that short wall, and fans shouldn’t be surprised if Everett AquaSox outfielder Josh Stowers does just that as he continues his first professional season.
Driving the ball the other way is one of the right-handed Stowers’ strengths, and one reason the Seattle Mariners selected him in the second round of last month’s Major League Baseball draft.
“I think home runs are a sexy number and he definitely has the ability to hit home runs,” said Dan McDonnell, who coached Stowers for three years at the University of Louisville. “But we led the ACC in doubles this year and he’s one of the reasons. … When he’s locked in, he’s hammering the ball into the right-center field gap.”
Stowers hasn’t had many opportunities to test his opposite-field power at home. Entering Tuesday’s series finale in Eugene, just three of the 11 games in which Stowers has appeared have been at home.
But he will soon get his chances as the AquaSox return home Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. for a three-game series with Vancouver. Following a quick weekend trip to Tri-City, the Frogs embark on an eight-game homestand a week from today.
‘A storybook moment’
Seattle took Stowers 54th overall in last month’s draft, a pick that some draft analysts considered a reach.
But he possesses an enviable combination of speed and power that ensured the Mariners couldn’t pass on him when he was still available.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound center fielder missed Everett’s first four games with a hamstring issue, but he didn’t wait long to make an impact as he launched a long home run to left field in his third career at-bat for his first professional hit on June 19 vs. Hillsboro.
“That’s something you see in movies — it was kind of a storybook moment,” Stowers said. “(Power) came along as I developed my swing and learned how to be a better hitter and learned how to use my body a lot better. I’d say the power definitely showed a lot more in my junior year (at Louisville).”
Stowers has long possessed multiple big-league tools. He has plus speed and was an exceptional defensive outfielder for the Louisville Cardinals. His arm is perhaps the weakest tool, but McDonnell envisions Stowers sticking in center field all the way up the rungs of the minor-league system.
“He went from an athletic high school kid to, in my opinion if not the best, one of the best center fielders in the country,” McDonnell said. “I don’t see everybody, but I’m saying in terms of a guy who can really go get (fly balls). (Quick) first step, (and he) makes hard plays look easy, so I think sometimes as a fan you take it for granted because he’s catching balls on the run that I think other people might not catch or might have to dive to get to.”
The hamstring issue hampered Stowers at the start of the season, but he quickly progressed to the point where he is now Everett’s everyday center fielder.
“It’s a matter of reps,” Everett manager Jose Moreno said. “We’re trying to get him at-bats and get him used to the professional baseball life and control the zone.
“(He has) great tools and I think it was an excellent pick for us. Now he’s healthy and seeing what he can do.”
‘From a good family’
Stowers grew up a Cubs fan in Chicago. His father, Clarence, was a Division I outfielder at Jackson State in Mississippi before a knee injury derailed his career. Clarence is now the pastor at Mars Hill Baptist Church in Chicago, where his wife, Shauntai, is also involved in the the church’s ministry.
“His dad’s a good dude and (Stowers) comes from a good family,” McDonnell said. “He comes from a high-education (family). This kid is smart, man, and then he obviously put it together between the lines.”
Clarence remains one of his son’s biggest fans and is very active on social media.
“He’s definitely a people person (and) my teammates loved him,” Stowers said of his dad. “They know if they made a great play or had a great game at the plate that they were going to get some love from him.”
Stowers credited both his parents for helping him mature on and off the field at Louisville as he transitioned from an athletic high school kid to a second-round draft pick.
“With my dad being a pastor obviously he knows how to deal with people’s problems because he’s got thousands of people coming to him for advice,” Stowers said. “It’s nice to have him just a text away, as well as my mom. They’ve both contributed big-time, especially going to school out of state.”
McDonnell has built a recruiting pipeline from the Chicago area, which lies about 300 miles northwest of Louisville. In choosing Louisville, Stowers not only joined that pipeline, but also put himself in position to play alongside a number of great players and have tremendous team success.
“They’ve had multiple first- and second-rounders come from my area and I knew if I wanted to do the things I wanted to do in my baseball career, that’s the place I needed to be,” Stowers said.
College days
The Cardinals reached the NCAA Super Regionals during Stowers’ first year in 2016 as he slashed .231/.333/.231 in 20 games off the bench. Stowers had the chance to play alongside fellow Chicago native and Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, who was a first-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers following that season.
Stowers emerged as the starting left fielder as a sophomore in 2017 and slashed .313/.422/.507 with six home runs and 34 RBI as the Cardinals reached the College World Series. He followed up with a strong performance in the prestigious Cape Cod League and was selected as team captain of a young, unproven 2018 Louisville squad.
Stowers began the 2018 season in the leadoff spot, but sent a midseason text to McDonnell asking to hit fifth as the Cardinals struggled to drive in runs.
McDonnell obliged, Louisville got hot and Stowers finished the season with a .336/.477/.550 slash line, a team-best nine home runs and 60 RBI. Stowers also hit a staggering .457 with runners in scoring position and walked 59 times while fanning 37 times.
He also stole 36 bases, and McDonnell drew comparisons between Stowers’ base-running and his defensive abilities.
“What makes him a great base-stealer is what makes him a great center fielder,” McDonnell said. “It’s the ability (to hit) full speed immediately. The jumps he’s going to get and the way he’s going to steal bases is (hitting) full speed as soon as he crosses over.”
The Cardinals went on to reach the 2018 NCAA tournament and advanced to the regional title game before falling to Texas Tech.
“Most analysts and everything picked us to not even make the playoffs, so I was really happy with the way we finished,” Stowers said. “Obviously you don’t want to lose in the regional title game — you want to keep playing. But I would say this season was definitely a successful one.”
It culminated with the Mariners selecting him in the second round the day after the Cardinals were eliminated from the postseason.
Serious about the game
McDonnell likes to tease Stowers about his serious demeanor — namely his lack of smiling on the field. Think Ben Gamel rather than Dee Gordon.
“He’s a lot of fun around the players, but I think in more public situations he tends to come off as quiet,” McDonnell said. “He’s very serious about the game.”
That doesn’t mean Stowers isn’t having a good time. He enjoys the camaraderie on this year’s AquaSox roster. In some ways it was a welcome surprise.
“Going into it you always get those doubts about pro ball because you don’t know if it’s going to be like an individualized thing and kind of make you hate baseball,” Stowers said. “But everybody is in it for each other so it’s a lot more fun when guys are more focused on winning rather than just putting up numbers for themselves.”
Stowers entered Tuesday’s game with a .250/.378/.444 slash line with a homer, four doubles and eight RBI in 36 at-bats.
With 11 of Everett’s next 14 games at home he will finally get the chance to take advantage of that short wall in right-center.
For the latest Everett AquaSox news follow @JesseGeleynse on Twitter.
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