Dustin McGowan
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| Toronto Blue Jays — No. 29 | |
| Starting Pitcher | |
| Born: March 24, 1982 | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| July 30, 2005 for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through May 7, 2008) |
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| Win-Loss | 16-17 |
| Earned Run Average | 4.58 |
| Strikeouts | 234 |
| Teams | |
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Dustin Michael McGowan (b. March 24, 1982, Savannah, Georgia) is a baseball player, currently a pitcher for Toronto Blue Jays. Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Long County High School in Ludowici, in the 1st round with 33rd pick of the draft on June 4, 2000. He made his major-league debut on July 30, 2005 against the Texas Rangers and received a no decision in an impressive performance when he logged 5 innings, allowing just 1 run while striking out 6, the most number of strikeouts by a Toronto starter in his Major League debut.[1].
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[edit] Pitch repertoire
He throws a four-seam fastball in the 94-96mph range and sometimes as fast as 98mph, his fastball is unique in the sense that it has a nice sink to it in addition to its high velocity. He also throws a hard slider that ranges in the high 80s to 90mph, a power curve with great tumbling action, and a change-up with good late movement as well.
One of McGowan's vulnerabilities is his pitch delivery, his slow windup makes him susceptible to base-stealers. McGowan allowed 29 stolen bases in 27 starts in 2007.
[edit] 2005-2006 Seasons
McGowan bounced between the bullpen and the starting rotation during his first 2 season with the Blue Jays. He struggled in his rookie season following his impressive Major League debut, posting a 6.35 ERA in 13 games including 7 starts. In the beginning of the 2006 season, McGowan was recalled by the Blue Jays from the SkyChiefs to take the place of the struggling reliever Jason Frasor. In his second stint with the team McGowan struggled once again and was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse on May 11 to work as a starter.
In 2005 Baseball America named him the #1 prospect in the Blue Jays' farm system and he was considered one of the cornerstone players of the Blue Jays for the future. However, his slow development, in particular, the lack of control of his pitches surrounded him in trade rumors during the 2006 off-season, where he had previously been off-limits to potential trades.
[edit] 2007 season
McGowan was eligible to be claimed off waivers had he not made the 2007 Blue Jays 25-man roster out of Spring Training, but recently the Blue Jays were granted another minor-league option year for him. This enabled McGowan to be sent down to the minors, if necessary, without being exposed to waivers during the 2007 season.[2]
McGowan started the 2007 season impressively for the Syracuse Chiefs in AAA. Despite an 0-2 record at the end of April, he had a 1.64 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22 innings. This led to a call-up to the Blue Jays rotation in early May after an injury to Gustavo Chacin. On June 19, 2007, he was rocked for six runs on 8 hits over one and two-thirds innings in a 10-1 Jays defeat, where he took the loss. He would redeem himself in his next start on June 24, 2007, as he had a no-hitter in the first 8 innings against the Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre, allowing only an 0-1 single to the first batter he faced in the ninth, designated hitter Jeff Baker, he became just the 6th pitcher in franchise history to carry a no-hitter into the 9th inning. His went on to record a shutout, the first of his career as well as his first complete game. On September 7, 2007 McGowan recorded a career high 12 strikeouts against Tampa Bay Devil Rays, while giving up just 2 runs in 8 innings of work. His performance impressed his teammates to a great extent, although some were well aware of the ability that McGowan possesses.
"That was fun to watch. All along, ever since they drafted this kid, they've been expecting stuff like this from him, and he's certainly capable. Today was one of the better games I've seen him throw. He had everything going." said catcher Gregg Zaun, who caught McGowan's complete game shutout.
He finished the season with a 12-10 record with a respectable 4.08 ERA in 27 starts, 18 of them were quality starts, ranked second on the team with 169.2 innings pitched along with 144 strikeouts to solidify his place as the number three starter in Toronto's rotation behind ace Roy Halladay and AJ Burnett, where he will begin the 2008 campaign.
It has been predicted that McGowan could become the ace of the Blue Jays pitching staff one day, with Roy Halladay's contract expiring at the end of 2010, and the possibility that AJ Burnett might opt-out of his contract after the 2008 season, McGowan may very well be endowed with the title eventually with steady development.
