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Dustin Fowler
Dustin Fowler
Dustin Fowler
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Dustin Ryan Fowler (born December 29, 1994) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg), he bats and throws left-handed. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Key Information

Career

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New York Yankees

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Fowler attended West Laurens High School in Dexter, Georgia. He committed to play college baseball at Georgia Southern University.[1] The New York Yankees selected Fowler in the 18th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He signed with the Yankees and made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Yankees.[3] He spent the whole season there, batting .241 with nine RBIs in 30 games. Fowler played in 2014 with the Charleston RiverDogs where he compiled a .257 batting average with nine home runs and 41 RBIs in 66 games. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of June 9 after hitting .393.[4] He began the 2015 season in Charleston before earning a promotion to the High-A Tampa Yankees.[5] He batted a combined .298/.334/.394 with five home runs, 70 RBIs and 30 stolen bases that year. He played in the Arizona Fall League after the 2015 season.[6]

Fowler received a non-roster invitation to spring training in 2016 and played that season with the Trenton Thunder[7][8] where he batted .281 with 12 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases in 132 games. He was named an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star that year.[9] He was again invited to spring training in 2017,[10][11] and started the season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He was named the International League Player of the Week for the week of April 30 after hitting a walk-off home run to complete the cycle.[9][12][13] In July, he was ranked as the 89th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America.[14] In 70 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he hit .293/.329/.542 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs.

On June 29, Fowler was promoted to the majors[15] and he made his debut that day after a nearly three-hour rain delay, with the Yankees facing the Chicago White Sox on the road.[16] During the first inning, he ran into a rail while chasing a fly ball, hitting his knee on a sharp edge of an electrical box. He collapsed to the ground and was carted off the field, before being diagnosed with an open rupture of the right patellar tendon. He was ruled out for the season and underwent surgery that night at Rush University Medical Center. Fowler would have led off the next inning for his first major league plate appearance.[17][18]

Oakland Athletics

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On July 31, 2017, the Yankees traded Fowler to the Oakland Athletics, along with fellow prospects Jorge Mateo and James Kaprielian, for starting pitcher Sonny Gray.[19] On December 15, 2017, Fowler sued the White Sox and the Illinois state agency that manages their ballpark, Guaranteed Rate Field, for allegedly causing his June 29 injury. His lawsuit, which was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, claimed negligence on the part of the White Sox and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority in not properly securing the unpadded electrical box he crashed into.[20] In 2018, the defendants tried, and failed, to have the case moved to federal court and dismissed, failing in their claim that Fowler, as an MLB player covered by the league's union contract, could not sue in state court for the injury.[21] A settlement motion was filed in Cook County Circuit Court in February 2022, details of which are not available online.

Fowler with the Athletics in February 2020

Fowler began the 2018 season with the Nashville Sounds. The Athletics promoted him to the major leagues on May 9,[22] and he went to bat for the first time in the major leagues that night.[23] He started his first game for Oakland on May 11, and got his first major league hit off Yankee pitcher Sonny Gray, the player he was traded for.[24] On May 18, 2018, he hit his first major league home run off Marco Estrada in a 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays.[25] On August 2, he was sent back down to Triple A Nashville.[26] He was recalled to the majors on August 31.[27] Before the end of spring training in 2019, Fowler was optioned to Triple-A in order to see more time at all three outfield positions.[28] He spent the entire season with the Las Vegas Aviators, despite hitting well. He later said it was a "big shock" to him not getting called up that year.[29]

Before the start of the 2020 season, Fowler was initially reassigned to minor league camp on March 13.[30] However, the season was soon put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June, he was included in the Athletics' 60-man player pool for the shortened 2020 season.[31] After not being called up, Fowler was designated for assignment on February 21, 2021, after the Trevor Rosenthal signing was made official.[32] At the time of his designation, Fowler had not appeared in an MLB game since 2018.

Pittsburgh Pirates

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On February 24, 2021, Fowler was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations.[33] After starting the season batting .171/.239/.195 with no home runs and two RBIs in 18 games, Fowler was designated for assignment when Todd Frazier was added to the roster on April 22.[34] On April 28, Fowler was outrighted to the alternate training site.[35] Fowler appeared in 13 games for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, hitting .270 with three home runs and six RBIs. He spent nearly two months on the minor league injured list. On August 7, Fowler was released by the Pirates organization.[36]

Miami Marlins

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On August 13, 2021, Fowler signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins. He was assigned to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp,[37] playing in 28 games and hitting .295/.309/.505 with six home runs and 24 RBI. Fowler elected free agency following the season on November 7.[38]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Dustin Fowler

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from Grokipedia
Dustin Fowler is an American former who played in (MLB) for the New York Yankees, , and from 2017 to 2021. Born on December 29, 1994, in Cadwell, Georgia, Fowler attended West Laurens High School in Dexter, Georgia, where he honed his skills as a left-handed batting and throwing standing 6 feet 0 inches tall and weighing 195 pounds. Drafted by the Yankees in the 18th round (554th overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft, he progressed through their system as a promising prospect known for his speed, defense, and gap power before making his MLB debut. Fowler's MLB career began dramatically on June 29, 2017, when he was called up by the Yankees and started in right field against the at Guaranteed Rate Field. In the bottom of the first inning, while chasing a foul popup, he crashed into the outfield wall, rupturing the in his right knee due to an unpadded electrical box protruding from the padding; the injury sidelined him for the remainder of the 2017 season and required surgery. Less than a month later, on July 31, 2017, the Yankees traded him to the along with pitchers and international bonus slot money in exchange for . Fowler returned to the majors with the Athletics in May 2018 after rehabilitation, where he recorded his first MLB hit—a single off Gray, the very pitcher involved in his trade—during a game against the Yankees. Over his brief MLB tenure, Fowler appeared in 88 games, batting .215 with 6 home runs, 25 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases, while posting a career of .579 and -1.5 , reflecting a journeyman role hampered by injuries and inconsistent performance. In 2018, he played 69 games for Oakland, hitting .224 with 6 home runs and 23 RBIs, but spent much of the next two seasons in the minors. On February 24, 2021, the Athletics traded him to the for cash considerations; he appeared in 18 games for Pittsburgh that season before being released on August 7, 2021. Fowler then signed a minor-league contract with the on August 13, 2021, but did not return to the majors and was granted free agency on November 7, 2021; as of 2025, he has not appeared in MLB games since, effectively concluding his big-league career.

Early life

Birth and upbringing

Dustin Ryan Fowler was born on December 29, 1994, in Cadwell, Georgia, a small rural community in Laurens County with a population of approximately 526 residents. Cadwell, known for its wooded surroundings and sparse development, provided a quintessential small-town environment that Fowler later described as "a bunch of woods, a bunch of nothing there." Raised in this modest setting, Fowler grew up immersed in the local culture of rural Georgia, where he developed an early interest in amid limited urban influences. He attended West Laurens High School in nearby Dexter, Georgia, about 10 miles from Cadwell, where he honed his athletic skills on the diamond. As the first player to hail from Cadwell, Fowler's upbringing in such an unassuming locale underscored his journey from obscurity to professional sports. Fowler's early years were marked by a commitment to that led him to initially plan for at before opting for a path. This transition highlighted the opportunities available even in small-town America for talented athletes willing to seize them.

High school career

Fowler attended West Laurens High School in Dexter, Georgia, where he played as an on the varsity team. A left-handed batter and thrower, he stood 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed around 170 pounds during his senior year. As a junior in 2012, Fowler posted a .474 , along with nine doubles, six triples, and five home runs, helping to showcase his speed and power potential. Entering his senior season in 2013, he was recognized as the 25th-ranked overall prospect and 10th-ranked in Georgia by Perfect Game USA. That year, he earned All-Middle Georgia honors as an . Fowler was also named his high school's Player of the Year as a senior. Fowler had committed to play at . However, the New York Yankees selected him in the 18th round (554th overall) of the out of high school. The team offered him a $278,000 —well above the slot value for his draft position—to forgo his college commitment and turn professional.

Professional career

New York Yankees (2013–2017)

Dustin Fowler was selected by the New York Yankees in the 18th round, 554th overall, of the out of West Laurens High School in Dexter, Georgia, and signed for a $278,000 bonus, forgoing a commitment to the . He began his professional career that summer with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Yankees, appearing in 30 games and batting .241 with two home runs and 13 stolen bases. In 2014, Fowler advanced to the Class A Charleston RiverDogs, where he played 66 games and hit .257 with eight home runs and 17 stolen bases, showcasing his speed and outfield defense. The following year, 2015, marked a breakout season as he returned to Charleston for 58 games, slashing .307/.368/.514 with 10 home runs and 17 steals, earning a midseason promotion to the High Class A Tampa Yankees. There, he batted .289/.350/.469 over 65 games, adding eight home runs and 13 steals, while leading Yankees minor leaguers with 10 home runs among outfielders; he also participated in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros, hitting .279 in 16 games. Fowler's development continued in 2016 at the Double-A , where he enjoyed a full season of 132 games, batting .281/.348/.470 with 12 home runs, 15 triples—a league high—and 25 stolen bases, solidifying his reputation as a toolsy with plus speed and gap power. Entering 2017, he ranked as the Yankees' No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com and No. 13 per Baseball Prospectus, praised for his athleticism and potential as an everyday . At Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2017, Fowler had his strongest minor league campaign, batting .293/.358/.513 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI over 70 games before earning Player of the Week honors for April 24–30 after going 11-for-26 with two homers. He led the league in RBI and , ranked second in hits, and finished ninth in , further boosting his prospect stock to the Yankees' No. 8 overall. On June 29, 2017, the Yankees promoted him to the majors, and he made his MLB debut that day starting in right field against the at Guaranteed Rate Field. However, in the first inning, Fowler suffered a ruptured right while chasing a , resulting in no plate appearances and placement on the 60-day disabled list the next day. Despite the injury, he remained in the organization until July 31, 2017, when the Yankees traded him, along with prospects and , to the for pitcher and international bonus pool money.

Oakland Athletics (2017–2021)

Fowler was acquired by the on July 31, 2017, in a trade that sent pitcher to the New York Yankees; the deal also included prospects and heading to Oakland. However, Fowler did not appear in a game for the Athletics that year, as he was sidelined by a severe right injury sustained during his major league debut with the Yankees on June 29, 2017, when he ruptured his after crashing into an outfield wall. The injury required surgery and extensive rehabilitation, preventing him from contributing to Oakland's roster in 2017. Fowler began the 2018 season with the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate, the of the , where he hit .310 with three home runs and eight stolen bases over 30 games before earning a promotion to the majors on May 9. He made his Oakland debut that day as a against the Houston Astros, then started in center field on May 11. Over 69 major league games that season, Fowler batted .224 with six home runs, 23 RBIs, and six stolen bases, primarily serving as a reserve while splitting time between Oakland and Nashville, where he was optioned on August 2 and recalled on August 31. In 2019, Fowler spent the entire season in Triple-A with the Las Vegas Aviators, Oakland's new affiliate, appearing in 130 games and posting a .277 with 25 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. He was briefly recalled to the majors on September 30 but did not appear in any games. The 2020 season, shortened by the , saw Fowler assigned to the Athletics' alternate training site; the season was canceled, and he received a September 28 recall to the major league taxi squad but did not play in any MLB contests. Fowler's time with Oakland concluded in early 2021 when he was on February 22 to make room on the 40-man roster following the signing of reliever . He was subsequently claimed off waivers by the on February 24.

Pittsburgh Pirates (2021)

On February 24, 2021, the acquired Dustin Fowler from the in exchange for cash considerations, shortly after the Athletics had to clear roster space for . Fowler, a former top-100 prospect who had struggled for consistent playing time in Oakland's crowded , viewed the move as a fresh opportunity. In a interview, he expressed gratitude for the chance, stating, "Coming over here, I’m just gonna try to take a deep breath, relax and play the best I can play. I want to have fun and enjoy the opportunity." Fowler impressed enough in spring training to secure a spot on the Pirates' Opening Day roster, wearing uniform number 49. He made his Pirates debut on March 6, 2021, against the New York Yankees, recording a single in his first at-bat as a during an exhibition game at . Pirates manager praised the acquisition as providing Fowler with "a fresh chance." In the 2021 regular season, Fowler appeared in 18 games for the Pirates, primarily as a and , compiling a of .171 with seven hits in 41 at-bats, including one double, no home runs, two RBI, three walks, and one . His stood at .239, with a of .195 and an of .434, reflecting a slow start amid limited opportunities in a rebuilding Pirates lineup. On April 22, 2021, the Pirates designated Fowler for assignment to make room for veteran infielder on the active roster, following the placement of pitcher on the . Fowler cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Pirates' alternate training site on April 28, before being assigned to the Triple-A on May 1. This brief stint marked the end of his major league time with that season.

Miami Marlins (2021)

On August 13, 2021, following his release from the organization, Fowler signed a minor league contract with the and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, the . He did not appear in any Major League games for the Marlins during the season. In 28 games with Jacksonville in the Triple-A East, Fowler posted a .295 with six home runs, 24 RBI, and a .814 OPS over 105 at-bats, providing depth late in the season. One standout performance came on September 16, 2021, when he hit three home runs—driving in six runs—in a 10-3 victory over the , marking the first such feat in the franchise's Jumbo Shrimp era (dating back to 2017). Fowler elected free agency on November 7, 2021, concluding his brief stint in the Marlins system.

Later career (2022–present)

Following the 2021 season, in which he appeared in the major leagues for the and spent time in the with affiliates of both the Pirates and the , Dustin Fowler retired from . No further appearances in or have been recorded for Fowler since that year. In the years after his , Fowler has remained involved in through private lessons for aspiring players while pursuing a in the local business sector, including work with Sam Martin Well Drilling in his hometown area of Cadwell, Georgia. He has also participated in community events, such as a 2025 fundraiser at West Laurens High School, where he reflected on his professional journey.

References

  1. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fowledu01.shtml
  2. https://www.mlb.com/player/dustin-fowler-641583
  3. https://www.baseballamerica.com/players/3086-dustin-fowler/
  4. https://www.mlb.com/news/dustin-fowler-injured-in-first-inning-of-debut-c239610036
  5. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/as-prospect-dustin-fowler-returns-to-big-leagues-after-gruesome-knee-injury-in-mlb-debut-last-year/
  6. https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=fowledu01
  7. https://sports.yahoo.com/dustin-fowler-punctuates-comeback-story-first-mlb-hit-off-pitcher-traded-015524459.html
  8. https://www.milb.com/player/dustin-fowler-641583
  9. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/players/2218320/dustin-fowler/
  10. https://www.sfchronicle.com/athletics/article/A-s-Dustin-Fowler-Gray-trade-good-to-have-11726275.php
  11. https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Dustin_Fowler
  12. https://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=300331
  13. https://www.macon.com/sports/high-school/article30115041.html
  14. https://www.maxpreps.com/news/oe8IqTnUd0mW2k4l8cPQng/maxpreps-2013-baseball-medium-schools-all-american-team.htm
  15. https://gseagles.com/news/2012/11/23/BSB_12523
  16. https://www.athleticsnation.com/2017/7/31/16071560/oakland-as-trade-sonny-gray-to-yankees-for-jorge-mateo-dustin-fowler-james-kaprielian
  17. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=fowler000dus
  18. https://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/12/6/13856026/new-york-yankees-top-20-prospects-for-2017
  19. https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/2017/yankees/jordan-montgomery-656756
  20. https://legendsondeck.com/international-league-player-week-dustin-fowler-yankees/
  21. https://www.milb.com/news/new-york-yankees-promote-dustin-fowler-from-triple-a-239544616
  22. https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/5/9/17336142/athletics-promote-dustin-fowler-to-the-majors
  23. https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/181161/
  24. https://www.baseballprospectus.com/player/102586/dustin-fowler/
  25. https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2021/02/24/pirates-acquire-intriguing-outfielder-in-dustin-fowler/stories/202102240163
  26. https://www.mlb.com/news/dustin-fowler-traded-to-pirates
  27. https://www.athleticsnation.com/2021/2/24/22300141/oakland-as-trade-dustin-fowler-pirates-dfa
  28. https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2021/03/07/Pirates-Dustin-Fowler-outfielder-A-s-trade-spring-debut-Yankees-center-field-fresh-start/stories/202103070200
  29. https://www.mlb.com/pirates/video/fowler-on-st-with-pirates
  30. https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/34693/dustin-fowler
  31. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/04/pirates-todd-frazier-dustin-fowler-dfa.html
  32. https://triblive.com/sports/pirates-dfa-dustin-fowler-place-chad-kuhl-on-il-add-todd-frazier-geoff-hartlieb-to-roster/
  33. https://www.milb.com/news/fowler-socks-three-home-runs-in-10-3-rout
  34. https://courierheraldtoday.com/west-laurens-greats-wright-fowler-talk-highs-lows-of-baseball-careers-in-return-for-special-event/
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