In January 2022, Baltimore Orioles first base prospect TT Bowens became an internet sensation when a video of him in a batting cage surfaced.
Bowens set up his phone to record his swing so he could review it after his session. When taking a swing, Bowen hit a ball that was then returned with a devastating blow to the groin region, with others watching and laughing as it occurred.
The video became such a big hit that Barstool Sports and ESPN reposted it to their accounts.
“Not only do I still get flak about it, I still have PTSD — every time I step into a cage,” Bowens said on Glenn Clark Radio May 25. “I had just set my phone up to record some swings to take a look at them, and I think that was the second one that I took, and instantly it happened. The whole group of guys that I was with realized that I was recording, and right about then is when I knew that, ‘OK, this is probably going to go viral to some extent.'”
Even after the painful incident, Bowens continued to put together a strong career in the Orioles organization. Bowens went undrafted during the COVID-shortened 2020 draft but was quickly signed by the Orioles as a free agent. He has now played in the minor leagues for three years in hopes of eventually advancing to the major leagues.
Bowens, 25, is taking on Double-A baseball for the first time this year.
“The talent is obviously very good, and the talent at the Single-A level is still very good, but the difference … there was two or three guys, I think maybe four, on the Altoona team that I was playing against that have played in the major leagues,” Bowens said. “Being around those players and realizing, ‘Wow, it’s a lot closer than it seems.'”
Bowens has played in 22 games for the Baysox this year after a late start due to injury. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound first baseman is hitting .264/.376/.486 with three home runs, six RBIs, 19 hits, 11 runs and 27 strikeouts entering play on June 15.
“Deep down, I don’t think any player is OK with strikeouts, but that’s definitely something we’ve worked on with the Orioles’ systems,” Bowens said. “… Strikeouts will come. Obviously, you want to limit them, but still prioritizing hitting the ball hard, being consistent with your at-bats.”
Bowens bounced around the minor leagues after signing, playing for Low-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen in 2021 before returning to the IronBirds in 2022. He hit .244/.321/.460 across the two levels in 2021 and .248/.376/.392 for Aberdeen in 2022.
“It’s a fun, tough game that we play, and there’s peace and values, and I’m just trying to keep going with what I’ve been doing and stay consistent with it,” Bowens said.
Bowens played college ball at Central Connecticut State University, where he piled up many accomplishments, including 2017 Northeast Conference tournament MVP, 2019 second-team All-Northeast Conference and 2019 NEC All-Tournament Team.
Bowens sought help during his college days from current Orioles co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller. Bowens and Fuller live close by, and the two started working together when Bowens was at Central Connecticut State.
“I reached out to him, and I started hitting with him,” Bowens said. “… The first day I hit with him, I never looked back. I knew he would be the guy to go to for any hitting tips, advice, anything, so I continued to hit with him.”
Bowens said that being able to work with Fuller was a “big difference-maker” because he was already aware of what the Orioles’ hitting philosophy was and how they wanted to work with each player on the team prior to signing.
“Just by knowing that information alone and experiencing it with hitting with Ryan in the past, I had known that this would be an organization that I know would help me really grow and get better as a hitter,” Bowens said.
For more from Bowens, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Joseph Noyes