Dexter Fowler

Dexter Fowler
Free agent
Center fielder
Born: (1986-03-22) March 22, 1986
Atlanta, Georgia
Bats: Switch Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 2008, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
(through 2016 season)
Batting average .268
Hits 1,001
Home runs 78
Runs batted in 339
Stolen bases 127
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Fowler meets President George W. Bush at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Medal record
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
2008 Beijing Team

William Dexter Fowler (born March 22, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, and Chicago Cubs. He represented the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics as a member of the United States national baseball team.

Amateur career

Fowler was born in Atlanta, and attended Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. At Milton, Fowler hit .457 with 14 home runs in 105 at-bats. Fowler rejected offers from Harvard and the University of Miami in order to play major league baseball, after having originally committed to Miami.[1] Before signing with the Rockies, Fowler was exclusively a right-handed hitter.[2]

International career

As a minor leaguer during the 2008 season, Fowler was selected to represent the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.[3] He and the U.S. team ended up winning the bronze medal in the Olympics by defeating Japan, 8-4, in the bronze medal game.[4]

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

Fowler was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 14th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. In 2008, he was selected by Major League Baseball to play in the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.

Fowler with the Colorado Rockies

Fowler was batting .337 with nine home runs, 61 runs batted in (RBIs) and 20 stolen bases for the Rockies' Double-A Texas League affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers prior to playing for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics.

Fowler was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on September 2, 2008. He made his debut that same day in a 6-5 extra innings home win over the San Francisco Giants, coming in as a pinch runner in the bottom of the 10th inning; he was subsequently picked off at first base.[5] In Fowler's first at-bat in the bottom of the third inning of a 9-2 home loss against the Giants the following day, he flied out to right field.[6]

On September 10, 2008, Fowler recorded his first hit, an infield single, off of Will Ohman in the top of the seventh inning of a 9-5 road loss against the Atlanta Braves.[7]

On April 8, 2009, Fowler hit his first career home run off Doug Davis of the Arizona Diamondbacks, as part of a 9-2 road win. He hit the home run on the first pitch of the game, becoming the first player in Rockies history to do so.[8]

On April 27, 2009, Fowler tied a modern-day rookie record when he stole five bases against the San Diego Padres in a 12-7 victory.[9]

In 2010, Fowler led the Majors in triples, accumulating 14 on the season. In 439 at bats on the year, he had six home runs, 36 RBI, 73 runs scored, and 114 total base hits.

In 2011, Fowler was 3rd in the National League in triples, hitting 15 that season. In 481 at bats on the year, he hit five home runs, 45 RBI, 84 runs scored, and 128 total base hits.

The 2012 season saw Fowler's batting stats increase to career highs. He hit 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and a batting average of .300 in 454 at bats.

However, much of his success came while hitting at home, Coors Field. His home OPS was .880, but only .694 on the road.

Houston Astros

Fowler with the Houston Astros

On December 3, 2013, Fowler was traded, along with a player to be named later to the Houston Astros for outfielder Brandon Barnes and pitcher Jordan Lyles.[10] The Rockies eventually sent cash to the Astros to complete the deal instead of the player to be named later.[11] He hit .276 in 116 games for the Astros during the 2014 season.[12]

Chicago Cubs

Fowler embracing with Kris Bryant after winning the 2016 World Series

On January 19, 2015, Fowler was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Luis Valbuena and Dan Straily.[13] He ended the 2015 season with a .250 average with 102 runs scored, 46 RBIs, 17 HRs, and 20 stolen bases.[14] In the 2015 National League wild card game, Fowler helped the Cubs to a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates with three hits, three runs scored, one RBI, a home run, and a stolen base.[15]

With the Cubs finishing the 2015 season with a 97-65 record, the team entered the postseason for the first time after 7 years. In 9 postseason games, Fowler batted .396 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI. In game 4 of the 2015 NLCS against the New York Mets, he was the final batter to strike out looking as the Cubs were eliminated from the postseason.

Fowler signed a one-year contract with the Cubs that included a mutual option for the 2017 season on February 25, 2016,[16] despite reportedly agreeing to a three-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles earlier that week.[17] The Orioles claimed that Fowler's insistence on an opt-out clause after one year was the holdup on the deal and that they were blind sided when he signed with the Cubs. Fowler on the other hand insisted he never had agreed to a deal with the Orioles and he and his agent blamed the team and the media for leaking incorrect information.[18]

Fowler earned his first career MLB ejection for arguing a strike three call by umpire Vic Carapazza on May 5, 2016.[19]

On October 25, 2016, Dexter Fowler along with teammates Jason Heyward, Addison Russell, and Carl Edwards Jr. became the first African-Americans to play for the Cubs in a World Series game. Additionally, Fowler is the first African-American to appear and to bat for the Cubs in a World Series. Both Fowler and Russell are the first African-Americans to start for the Cubs in a World Series.[20][21][22][lower-alpha 1]

Fowler led off Game 7 of the World Series with a home run, becoming the first player in history to lead off a World Series Game 7 with a home run.[23] The Cubs won the game 8–7 in 10 innings, giving the team their first championship in 108 years.[24] On November 5, Fowler declined his mutual option for the 2017 season and became a free agent.[25]

Personal life

Fowler is married to Aliya Fowler and has a daughter, Naya. Fowler is a Christian.[26] Fowler is good friends with former teammate Chris Nelson, who is also from Georgia.[27]

Notes

  1. ↑ Jackie Robinson's rookie season was 1947, which was two years after the Chicago Cubs' appearance in the 1945 World Series. In 1953, Ernie Banks, known as Mr. Cub, became the first African-American on the Cubs roster.

References

  1. ↑ Baseball America Prospect Handbook. Books.google.com. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  2. ↑ http://m.mlb.com/news/article/4471416/
  3. ↑ "2008 Minor League Olympians". Web.minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ Bronzed in history: U.S. gets medal Archived August 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Renck, Troy E. "Rockies' Fowler picked on in debut". Denverpost.com. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Zito keeps up hot streak to slow Rockies' improved play". Scores.espn.go.com. September 3, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Atlanta scores five in 7th to rally, dent Rockies' playoff hopes". Scores.espn.go.com. September 10, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  8. ↑ "First things first: Fowler goes deep". Colorado.rockies.mlb.com. May 24, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Fowler ties modern-day record with 5 SBs; Hawpe taken to hospital". Scores.espn.go.com. April 27, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Astros add Fowler, send Barnes, Lyles to Rockies". Houston.astros.mlb.com. December 3, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  11. ↑ Drellich, Evan (June 3, 2014). "Astros, Rockies complete Dexter Fowler trade with cash exchange". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  12. ↑ "2014 Houston Astros Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball Reference.
  13. ↑ Baer, Bill (January 19, 2015). "Cubs acquire Dexter Fowler in a trade with the Astros". NBC Sports.
  14. ↑ CBS Sports
  15. ↑ ESPN
  16. ↑ "Cubs, Fowler agree on 1-year deal". MLB.com. February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  17. ↑ Schmuck, Peter (February 23, 2016). "With Dexter Fowler on top, Orioles offensive lineup no longer has any holes in it". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  18. ↑ Encina, Eduardo A. (February 25, 2016). "Orioles' Dan Duquette: Opt-out clause was deal breaker with Dexter Fowler". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  19. ↑ Imber, Gil (May 5, 2016). "MLB Ejection 022 - Vic Carapazza (1; Dexter Fowler)". Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League.
  20. ↑ Collier, Jamal (October 25, 2016). "Fowler Cubs' first African-American in Series: Center fielder will be first up in Game 1; Heyward, Edwards, Russell also honored by distinction". mlb.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  21. ↑ Muskat, Carrie (October 25, 2016). "Cubs set roster for World Series vs. Indians: Schwarber returns after missing nearly all of season with knee injuries". mlb.com. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Box Score: Game 1, 2016 World Series". Gameday. mlb.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  23. ↑ McCalvy, Adam. "Fowler makes history with leadoff HR". MLB.com. Cleveland: MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  24. ↑ Bastian, Jordan; Muskat, Carrie. "Chicago Cubs win 2016 World Series". MLB. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  25. ↑ Adams, Steve (November 5, 2016). "Dexter Fowler Declines Mutual Option". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Dexter Fowler, Houston Astros".
  27. ↑ http://m.mlb.com/news/article/4471416/

External links

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