Get to know the Herd: Bowden Francis
Starting the season out with the Biloxi Shuckers and Nashville Sounds, Bowden Francis wasn’t a part of the Blue Jays organization at first. The 25-year-old is actually one of the newest members of the Bisons after being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Blue Jays, in a deal that
Starting the season out with the Biloxi Shuckers and Nashville Sounds, Bowden Francis wasn’t a part of the Blue Jays organization at first. The 25-year-old is actually one of the newest members of the Bisons after being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Blue Jays, in a deal that included slugger, Rowdy Tellez.
After being assigned to Triple-A, Francis has had just one start with the Herd, but it is easy to get excited about the right-hander's resume.
Francis is massive on the mound, standing in at 6’6 and 225 pounds. He throws with a lot of velocity but shows the ability to change speeds effectively and place the baseball well.
The big right-hander started the season in Double-A, pitching for the Biloxi Shuckers before being called up to the Nashville Sounds in Triple-A. Francis appeared in four games for the Shuckers, spending most of May with the club.
He posted a 3.60 earned run average, striking out 26 batters during his 21.0 innings on the mound. Speaking to his control, Francis only walked five batters during that same span.
The right-hander was called up to Nashville at the end of May and followed that with a solid June, posting a 3.90 earned run average over his five appearances. Pitching 27.2 innings on the mound, and no less than five innings in every start, Francis struck out 27 batters, allowed 12 earned runs, and won two of his four starts.
Perhaps his most dominant start came against the Indianapolis Indians, when Francis pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six batters. The club rallied behind his solid start, winning the game 14-1.
Francis has made five starts for the Bisons, going 2-1 with a 4.73ERA over 26.2 inning pitched. The 25-year-old showed a ton of promise, logging five innings or more in each of his first four starts for Buffalo. The righty also won back-to-back starts after joining the team.
Putting all his starts together in the 2021 season, Francis has pitched in 16 games and has a record of 9-4. The right-hander has a 3.96 earned run average and opposing batters are hitting just .211 when Francis is on the mound.