Kevin Gowdy

Kevin Gowdy
Diablos Rojos del México – No. 14
Pitcher
Born: (1997-11-16) November 16, 1997
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
U-18 Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2015 Osaka Team

Kevin R. Gowdy (born November 16, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He attended Santa Barbara High School in Santa Barbara, California. Gowdy was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft.

Amateur career

Gowdy was born on November 16, 1997, in Santa Barbara, California.[1] Aside from baseball, he earned a black belt in taekwondo and played soccer, basketball, basketball, and flag football. Gowdy began taking pitching lessons at age eight and decided to focus on the sport as a teenager.[2]

Gowdy attended Santa Barbara High School in his hometown, where he made the varsity baseball team as a sophomore. That year, he had a 0–2 win-loss record and 1.27 earned run average (ERA) in 23 innings pitched. As a junior, Gowdy improved to 3–0 with a 0.27 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched, signing a national letter of intent to play college baseball at the University of California, Los Angeles after leading his team to the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs for the second straight year.[3]

Gowdy earned all-tournament honors at both the 2014 Perfect Game (PG) WWBA World Championship and the Baseball America 2015 Area Code Games. He also played in the 2015 PG All-American Classic and was named a 2015 PG USA first-team Underclass All-American. In 2016, Gowdy was ranked No. 11 in the 2016 PG USA Top 500 High School Prospects.[3]

Professional career

Philadelphia Phillies

Gowdy was considered a top prospect for the 2016 MLB draft;[2][4][5] he was selected in the second round (42nd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies.[6] He bypassed a college career and signed with the Phillies for $3.5 million.[7] Gowdy was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Phillies, where he spent the remainder of the season, posting a 4.00 ERA in nine innings pitched.[8] He did not report to a minor league club to begin the 2017 season and instead underwent Tommy John surgery in August, sidelining him for the 2018 season as well.[9] He returned to pitch in 2019 with the Lakewood BlueClaws, going 0–6 with a 4.68 ERA in 24 games (16 starts), striking out 53 batters over 77 innings.[10] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Gowdy opened the 2021 season with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws of the High-A East, going 4–5 with a 4.42 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 61 innings.[12]

Texas Rangers

On July 30, 2021, Gowdy, Spencer Howard, and Josh Gessner were traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Hans Crouse, Kyle Gibson, and Ian Kennedy.[13] He finished out the 2021 season with the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A East, going 2–1 with a 3.71 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 29 innings.[14] Gowdy opened the 2022 season back with Hickory.[15] However, he instead spent the season with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, posting a 2-3 record and 9.90 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 40 innings pitched. Gowdy elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.[16]

Los Angeles Dodgers

Gowdy signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 23, 2023. The Dodgers assigned him to the Double–A Tulsa Drillers, where he appeared in 31 games with a 4.93 ERA and 41 strikeouts.[14] He was assigned to the Triple–A Oklahoma City Baseball Club for the 2024 season,[17] where he made 42 appearances and allowed 25 earned runs in 51+1⁄3 innings for a 4.38 ERA.[14] Gowdy elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.[18]

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 3, 2024, Gowdy signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, which included an invite to Blue Jays spring training.[19] He was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons for the 2025 season.[20] On June 13, 2025, Gowdy appeared in relief of Max Scherzer, who was on rehab assignment, against the Columbus Clippers.[21] In 33 appearances, he posted a 3-2 record with a 5.25 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched.[14] Gowdy was released by the Blue Jays organization on July 27.[22]

Diablos Rojos del México

On July 28, 2025, Gowdy signed with the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League.[23]

International career

Gowdy won a gold medal with the United States at the 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan. He earned a win against Mexico, and pitched two scoreless innings to lead the United States to a comeback win over Cuba in the semifinal.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Kevin Gowdy". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Belinsky, Hudson (March 10, 2016). "Kevin Gowdy Among SoCal's Top Prospects". Baseball America. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "UCLA Baseball Signs 13 Players to NLIs". UCLA Bruins. November 23, 2015. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  4. ^ Punzal, Barry (April 11, 2016). "Kevin Gowdy Impresses Coach With His Poise Under Pressure". Noozhawk. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  5. ^ Zielinski III, Dan (March 21, 2016). "An advanced high school pitcher: Kevin Gowdy". The3rdManIn. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  6. ^ Helfand, Zach (June 9, 2016). "Santa Barbara's Kevin Gowdy is taken No. 42 overall by Phillies in MLB draft". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  7. ^ "Phils reach deals with 4 more from Draft haul". MLB.com. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  8. ^ "Kevin Gowdy Stats, Highlights, Bio". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "Phillies pitching prospect Kevin Gowdy sidelined for a year after Tommy John surgery". NBC Sports. August 15, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Seidman, Corey (September 17, 2020). "Revisiting 1st round of 2016 MLB draft when Phillies took Moniak". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  11. ^ Brookover, Bob (May 8, 2021). "Phillies prospect Kevin Gowdy hopes new pitch rekindles his big-league dream". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  12. ^ Hilburn-Trenkle, Chris; Cooper, J. J. (July 30, 2021). "Phillies Acquire Ian Kennedy, Kyle Gibson, Hans Crouse From Rangers For Spencer Howard, Kevin Gowdy and Josh Gessner". Baseball America. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  13. ^ Landry, Kennedi (July 30, 2021). "Howard, prospects headed to TEX (sources)". MLB.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d "Kevin Gowdy Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  15. ^ "Rangers Release Crawdads Break Camp Roster". MiLB.com. March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  16. ^ Morris, Adam J. (November 12, 2022). "Rangers have 25 minor leaguers become free agents". Lone Star Ball. SB Nation. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  17. ^ Stephen, Eric (March 29, 2024). "Dodgers Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City sets preliminary roster for 2024". SB Nation. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2024). "Minor League Free Agents 2024". Baseball America. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  19. ^ "Blue Jays sign INF Michael Stefanic, RHP Kevin Gowdy to minor-league deals". Sportsnet. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  20. ^ "Blue Jays option Jake Bloss, Jonatan Clase, Orelvis Martinez to triple-A". Sportsnet. March 20, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  21. ^ Haim, Mike (June 13, 2025). "Max Scherzer wants to be back with the Blue Jays. After Bisons rehab start, he's 'not out of the woods'". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  22. ^ https://www.milb.com/transactions/2025-07-27
  23. ^ "LMB: Compras de pánico - 28 de julio de 2025". lmb.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  24. ^ Punzal, Barry (September 7, 2015). "Gowdy is a world champion with USA U18s". Presidio Sports. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
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