THE EYES HAVE IT

The Grizzlies are using a new technique to sharpen their eyes at the plate.

By David Taub
VSP Senior Writer:

“The hardest thing to do in sport is to hit a baseball.”
-paraphrase of a famous Ted Williams quote

It’s a simple concept, really. A successful hitter hits the ball. Really successful hitters reach safely three of ten times at bat.

Teaching a batter how to hit has been a philosophical quagmire since the game itself.

The methods are as varied as they are long: live toss, pitching machines, tape study, altering swings. Teams are willing to try anything to get the edge on how to be more successful.

One of the latest methods is to train batters with their eyes. It is called iTrac, used by at least four Major League teams, including the Giants.

On a Saturday, two hours before the Giants Triple-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies prepare to battle, Juan Ciriaco, Jake Wald, Kevin Frandsen and Buster Posey gather around the indoor batting cage.

Enclosed by a mesh net, a device whirls specially marked tennis balls upward of 120 miles per hour from the regulation distance of 60’ 6”. It looks like a pitching machine with a bazooka attachment. It sounds like a vacuum cleaner as each pitch is delivered.

Developed by a company out of Wheeling, Illinois, iTrac rockets tennis balls stamped with red and black numbers. The hitter tries to guess what he just saw as the ball whizzes on by.

“Naked chicks on them would even be better,” joked one of the Grizzlies around the cage.

The operator of the equipment on this particular day is a former player, whose baseball dreams never reached beyond small college ball.

Joe Niemie’s career didn’t last long because of injuries. But, his arm problems led to coaching, and eventually to his current job as MLB iTrac trainer for the Giants.

Niemie coordinates the iTrac batting sessions for all Giants home games. When the team is on the road, Niemie and his machine hit the road as well, taking his wares to the Giants’ two California minor league teams: the Grizzlies and the San Jose Giants.

Currently, the Giants, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and New York Mets contract out iTrac in hopes of getting the edge. Niemie hopes his company’s secret to improving hitting will be discovered by all 30 teams.

“Every time it gets easier,” Wald says after a session. “I kind of pretend I do (see the numbers on the ball). I kind of pick up shapes.”

Wald is unsure if this will actually help him, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to help his game.

The balls start fast, in the 80-90 MPH range, then can get up to 120. On this day, players barely get a piece of the ball, more often than make solid contact.

Then, the hitter will just hold the bat, in a bunt formation, with one hand. This, Niemie describes, is to help their eye follow the ball all the way through the plate.

One philosophy iTrac believes that is somewhat a break with tradition hitter’s education is to turn the head to focus on the ball, instead of just the eyes.

“You see everything better when you have both eyes [on the ball],” Niemie says. “It will really enhance what’s called your binocular vision, which will enhance your depth perception, allowing better contact.”

This is especially valuable for pitchers with late and trick movements, i.e. Mariano Rivera’s cutter or most Greg Maddux pitches.

The goal to moving the head with a ball at such high velocities is to keep the vision of the ball between the eyes.

By having the batter keep his focus on the printed number on the ball at high speeds, the hope is to identify spin of the hard ball. This in turn allows the hitter identify the pitch and increase chances for success.

“Anything that helps,” quips Grizzlies hitting instructor Hensley Meulens. “We are very glad the Giants are investing into this.”

The numbers will tell that the Giants are better offensively at home than they are on the road. Although this could be related to a number of factors, Niemie is willing to credit iTrac as one of them.

“No one works on the seeing. That’s where we come in,” Niemie says, touting his system.

Urban legend has it that one baseball superstar mandated in his contract that the iTrac system follows him to a new team. The technique has its believers, but ultimately, the numbers will tell the story.

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POSEY MAKES HOME DEBUT; GRIZZLIES WIN

After sitting out on Friday, Giants top prospect Buster Posey shines in his Chukchansi Park debut Saturday.

By Andrew Marden
VSP Senior Writer

FRESNO, Calif – Eight wins, zero losses. The Fresno Grizzlies have yet to lose with catcher Buster Posey in their starting lineup.

“I’m not the type to walk around with my chest poked out a whole lot,” says the 22-year-old former first-round draft pick (5th overall in 2008). “I’m just kind of keeping to myself, watching some of the older guys and just enjoying being around them.”

Saturday night, Posey got to play with them for the first time at Chukchansi Park. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in his Grizzlies home debut, a 9-2 win over Reno.

“My goals at this level are the same that they’d be at any other level…to win,” says Posey, who skipped ‘AA’ when he was promoted from ‘A’ (San Jose) to ‘AAA’ (Fresno) on July 14th.

“It’s easy to get caught up in personal statistics and whatnot but if you do take care of business by winning first, the personal stats will balance themselves out.”

Like they did in the California League earlier this season.

In 80 games with San Jose, Posey’s first full season in professional baseball, the Giants’ most-hyped prospect since pitcher Tim Lincecum batted .326 with 13 homeruns and 58 RBI.

“This kid is highly touted, there’s no doubt about it. But we have to remember he’s still a kid,” says Fresno Grizzlies manager Dan Rohn, whose first year in Fresno was 2007, the same year Lincecum went 4-0 with a 0.29 ERA in five starts for the Grizzlies.

“You guys have to remember (Posey’s) only 22 years old. He’s still learning the game, he’s gonna make mistakes just like the rest of us.”

Except he’s not like the rest of us.

He’s 22-years-old, and already in Triple-A.

He’s 22-years-old, and already has $6.2 million in the bank (the amount of his signing bonus).

In other words, he’s 22-years-old, and everyone’s already watching everything he does.

“That’s been the case since I signed last year, so I’ve had a year’s practice at it now,” joked Posey, whose real name is ‘Gerald’ but who has gone by the nickname ‘Buster’ his entire life.

“It’s a little bit more pressure, but it’s still baseball. I enjoy doing what I’m doing coming to the park each day so that makes it fun for me.”

With his performance Saturday night, Posey now has eight hits in the eight games he’s played so far for Fresno. Defensively, the Giants organization is letting its #2-rated prospect call his own pitches.

“He’s an intelligent young man, he picks it up pretty quick,” says Rohn. “He and the pitching coach (Pat Rice) and the pitcher that day go over the gameplan and they stick to it. And he makes adjustments as the game goes. He’s done a nice job.”

So much so that in Posey’s brief time with the Grizzlies, Rohn, a 15-year veteran of the game, said “He’s got a chance to catch 10-15 years in the big leagues if he stays healthy. He’s just that good.”

“I don’t want to be overly anxious,” said Posey, addressing the hype that he is projected to be the San Francisco Giants opening day catcher in 2010.

“I’d like to get there as fast as I could, but I’ll get there when the time is right.”

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POSEY HITLESS IN GRIZZLIES’ DEBUT

Fresno beats Colorado Springs 7-6 in 11 innings.

By George Takata
VSP Senior Writer:

The much anticipated but more than likely short Fresno Grizzlies career for Giants mega prospect Buster Posey started with a 7-6 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox Thursday night. Posey, San Francisco’s first round draft pick last year (5th selection overall), went 0 for 4 at the plate with a sacrifice fly. He batted third and caught the entire game.

Posey will make his Chukchansi Park debut next Friday night against the Reno Aces. He batted .326 with 13 home runs and 58 RBI in 80 games for Single-A San Jose, throwing out almost 50 percent of would-be base stealers.

Posey was a California League All-Star.

POSEY’S AT-BATS:
Grounded out to shortstop in the first inning
Grounded out to third in the fourth inning
Sacrifice fly in the sixth inning (Eugenio Velez scores)
Grounded out to shortstop in the eighth inning
Flied out to center in the tenth inning

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POSEY TO MAKE GRIZZLIES DEBUT TODAY

The Giants’ superstar in the making will be in uniform for Fresno at Colorado Springs tonight.

By David Taub
VSP Senior Writer:

When is Buster Posey coming? When is he going to be here?

Those were the two most common questions heard at the Grizzlies games this year. Fans, media and even team officials, wondered, speculated when one of the most talked about Giants prospects would arrive.

The Giants drafted Posey in the first round of the 2008 draft, the fifth overall selection. From that day, excitement built for a prospect with such fervor rarely seen before. Even Tim Lincecum didn’t become such a phenom until he pitched in his two-month stint with the Grizzlies in 2007.

Posey’s name may have entered the Fresno conscious during last year’s College World Series. While Bulldogs fans watched the tournament, Posey was one of the most talked about topics as he led his Florida State Seminoles.

“From the way Fresno State played, I’m glad we didn’t play them,” Posey said, recalling his college days which just ended last year.

Accolades, expectations and hype have followed Posey since his high school days. A brief look at his bio tells the story of a talented young man: 2008 Golden Spikes winner; All-American; Junior Olympian; High School Player of the Year and on and on.

And thus far, he has delivered.

After signing a record six million dollar bonus, Posey played 10 games in the low minor leagues, before embarking in the Hawaiian Winter League. In the 50th state, Posey batted .338 with 15 RBI in 19 games, good enough to earn post-season All-Star honors. His homer in the championship game clinched the win for the Waikiki BeachBoys.

The legend started to grow. San Francisco invited Posey to Spring Training to learn from the best, like Bengie Molina. The San Jose Giants would be his first stop in 2009, with the question on everyone’s mind: where will he wind up at the end of the year? Stay with the little Giants? Fresno? San Francisco?

Posey aced the Cal League, an All-Star hitting .326, 13 homers and 58 RBI.

In his final game with San Jose on July 13, Posey looked any but a Six Million Dollar man off the field. No fancy jewelry; no visible tattoos; and just a little scruff around the face and neck. His attitude is like any one of his current and future minor league teammates: just trying to get to the show.

“I’m just coming to the ballpark each day with a mindset to get better.”

The way he carries about himself, with his team, with the media, senses a bit of humbleness, some graciousness. His family helped keep him level headed.

“It all starts with the way I was raised,” the son of Demp and Traci Posey says. “They’re quick to raise me and my siblings (Buster is the oldest of four) to be humble and respectful of everybody.”

Buster also has his new bride of six months, Kristen, to keep on the straight and narrow. The two were high school sweethearts at Lee County High School in southwest Georgia. They honeymooned in the Bahamas, and were together living in San Jose as of earlier this week.

“This has been has been an adjustment for her as well. It’s not an all glamorous lifestyle as everyone would think.

Lee County, Posey describes, is a kind of rural place where the entire county has only one high school.

“Good people, fun place to grow up.”

He grew up as a Braves fan, his formative years just in time for Atlanta’s run of division titles and one world championship.

Although born on March 27, 1987 as Gerald Demp Posey III, he was known as ‘Buster’ since birth.

He says his name came from a nickname his father’s grandmother gave to the elder Posey, and it just stuck.

Baseball wasn’t necessarily in Posey’s blood, but he and his sibling took to it. His dad was more of a basketball man, a scholarship player at Berry College in Rome, Georgia in the mid-1980s.

But with two brothers and a sister, the Posey clan used whiffle ball as their form of family fun.

“We’ve always just loved the game.”

Now, Posey’s baseball path takes him to Fresno. His numbers speak for themselves. His quiet leadership on the field speaks for itself.

Although it is hard to predict how long Posey will be with the Grizzlies, it’s just another place Buster says he can perfect his baseball craft.

With the pace he’s setting, it is no doubt he will be with the Giants soon.

“It will be a dream come true.”

For now, Posey as a Grizzly is a fans’ dream fulfilled.

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POSEY PROMOTED TO GRIZZLIES

One of the Giants’ top prospects will play for Fresno starting Thursday.

By Danny Wild
mlb.com:

Giants prospect Buster Posey was promoted to Triple-A Fresno on Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation surrounding the Minors’ top catcher.

Posey, 22, will make his Triple-A debut on Thursday against Colorado Springs when the Grizzlies return from the Triple-A All-Star break.

The Florida State product was San Francisco’s first-round pick in the 2008 Draft and has excelled this season with Class A Advanced San Jose, where he was hitting .326 with 13 homers and 58 RBIs in 80 games for the Giants. He was 15-for-37 (.405) with 10 RBIs and 12 runs in his last 10 games for San Jose.

Posey had been rumored to skip Double-A Connecticut and join Fresno ever since the Giants promoted three other top prospects to the Defenders, pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson and shortstop Brandon Crawford.

Posey had missed some games in late June after getting hit in the head with a pitch, but has shown no ill effects since his return, batting .357 in a dozen games this month.

The Georgia native played at two levels in the Giants’ system last summer. He’s currently ranked as the No. 19 prospect in the Minors by MLB.com.

To purchase Grizzlies tickets to see Posey in person, log on to www.fresnogrizzlies.com.

THIS AND THAT: The Grizzlies have a 45-45 record at the break… The Grizzlies will start their eight game road trip Thursday at Colorado Springs… Posey will make his Chukchansi Park debut Friday, July 24th against the Reno Aces. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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GRIZZLIES TO HIBERNATE FOR THREE DAYS

The Giants Triple ‘A’ affiliate set to recharge batteries during the All-Star break.

By David Taub
VSP Senior Writer:

The Fresno Grizzlies couldn’t have picked a better time to take a three day vacation.

Heading into the All-Star break, Fresno had a chance to make up ground versus first-place Sacramento with a five-game series. That didn’t happen.

After winning the first two, Sacramento took the final three, to increase their lead to 11 games over the Grizzlies.

Saturday night, the River Cats won, 7-6, in 13 innings, lasting one minute shy of four hours.

Thirteen hours later, the teams went at it again, with the hope that a noon start would allow the players to get to their break earlier.

No chance. The game lasted longer than the night before, four hours and 21 minutes, and the turnaround time showed.

Both teams played like they had no rest: a combined nine errors (yet, only one unearned run).

The Grizzlies were within one strike from closing out a 7-5 victory, when Jeff Baisley hit a game-tying homer off Alex Hinshaw in the ninth. Three innings later, the River Cats rallied again for three in the twelfth and held on to the 10-7 victory.

At the break, the Grizzlies are 45-45, even steven.

“We’re starting the season over, 0-0 in the second half,” said the ever-optimistic manager Dan Rohn

As far as what he’s doing during the break?

“I’m not getting off my couch for five days, even though we only have three.”

Pitcher Kevin Pucetas will be representing the team at the Triple-A All-Star Game.

“It feels good to go up there (to Portland), see friends and family, and have a little vacation.”

Pucetas carries an 8-2 record, with a 3.57 ERA and 63 strikeouts. Rohn cited his performance has a first half highlight.

It is yet another honor for the pitcher who is a rising star in the Giants organization. In 2008, he was the Cal League Pitcher of the Year while at San Jose.

In three professional seasons, Pucetas has earned three All-Star bids: in 2007 with Augusta in the South Atlantic League and last year with San Jose.

As far as the rest of the team, they are mandated to stick around, according to infielder Matt Downs.

Downs made his Major League debut with the Giants, earning a call up in June. In 12 games, he only hit .194, but clubbed his first homer June 28 at Milwaukee.

His All-Star break plans?

“Just relax and get baseball off the mind for a few days.”

Downs and his teammates plan to do so at one of the local lakes.

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BOWKER CALLED UP TO GIANTS; IN STARTING LINEUP TONIGHT

The Fresno Grizzlies’ outfielder hit .255 in 111 games for the Giants last year.

By George Takata
VSP Senior Writer:

John Bowker’s 26th birthday was one of his best ever.

The Grizzlies outfielder was called up to the Giants Wednesday on his birthday during Fresno’s 8-4 win over the Sacramento River Cats. Bowker doubled in the first inning and was lifted for a pinch runner so he could get ready to leave for San Francisco. He is in tonight’s starting lineup for the Giants, batting fifth and playing left field.

Bowker hit .347 with 17 home runs and 63 runs batted in for the Grizzlies this season. This is his first call-up to the show this year. He hit .255 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 111 games for the Giants in 2008.

The Giants sent pitcher Ryan Sadowski to single ‘A’ San Jose to make room for Bowker on the roster. Sadowski had a 1.00 earned run average in three starts for San Francisco.

Because Bowker is now in the big leagues, he is ineligible to participate in next week’s Triple ‘A’ All-Star game in Portland Wednesday, July 15.

The Giants now have six outfielders on their 25 man roster, but espn.com is reporting the team is rumored to be interested in trading Fred Lewis.

GIANTS OUTFIELDERS:
Aaron Rowand
Randy Winn
Nate Schierholtz*
Fred Lewis*
Andres Torres*
John Bowker*

* Has played for Grizzlies

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CAPITOL GAINS

Grizzlies’ infielder Emmanuel Burriss used baseball to escape the tough streets of Washington DC.

By David Taub
VSP Contributing Writer:

Washington, the nation’s capital, is known for its politics. It’s known for its poverty. It’s barely known for its baseball, and certainly not at producing Major League talent (the debate is still out on the Nationals).

Emmanuel Burriss is hoping to shed that image. When he debuted for the Giants in 2008, he became the first player in his generation to make to the Bigs hailing from Washington D.C. The last player was Willie Royster, whose career lasted four games with Baltimore in 1981.

“A lot of people helped me along the way,” Burriss said. “I hope I can take what I experienced back to DC to help the younger kids to get there as well.”

Washington may have a reputation as the most influential city in the world, but that reputation does not translate to its public schools. The notorious reputation makes Burriss’ accomplishments that much more impressive.

“It wasn’t as easy, but it helped make me who I am,” the second baseman commented on his upbringing. “It wasn’t a good time for anybody in the city. Things were kind of rough. But I had good parents and a strong background.”

Family involvement helped Burriss keep him on the right track. His mother, Denise, works for the federal government. His dad, Allen, runs a garbage company with a family friend.

Burriss certainly had the talent for baseball, but it took a lot more than that to evolve from a region dearth in high end talent. His parents would drive him many weekends for out-of-area tournaments. His coaches helped guide him both on and off the field.

The hard work paid off. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School, he emerged at Kent State.

The challenge of inner-city life prepared Burriss for the transition to the Mid-American Conference. If he could conquer DC, then Kent, Ohio was no problem.

“Going up there was the better thing to do, getting out of the environment in DC.”

Baseball saved Burriss from being sucked into any of the negatives of DC life, idle hands, as Emmanuel says. He took to baseball early on and stuck with it.

Exceeding at Kent State, Burriss was named the 2006 MAC Player of the Year, batting .360 and leading the nation with 42 steals. His prowess may have gone unnoticed if it wasn’t coming off a stellar summer in the Cape Cod League, renowned for a maturation ground of young talent.

With his draft stock increased, Burriss was the 33rd overall pick in the 2006 draft, and hit .300 in his first professional season in short-season A ball with Salem-Keizer.

The following year, he split time with San Jose and Augusta. After struggling with the little Giants, only hitting .165, he found his stroke in the SAL, hitting .321 with 51 steals.

Burriss made the next jump to Fresno in 2008, and then the call to the bigs

“It was amazing. Everyday up there, I cherished it,” Burriss recalled. His contract was purchased by the Giants on April 20, 2008. “Luckily, I was in the right position at the right time.”

Splitting most of his games at shortstop and second during the year, Burriss emerged as a candidate for the starting second baseman role in 2009. He won out in spring training over the likes of Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez.

But, light hitting forced the Giants to send him back to Fresno.

“Baseball is a game of adjustments. The most I can do is to work every day,” he says with a positive glare. “The second you feel defeated, is the second you will be.”

Learning from mentors in the Giants’ clubhouse like Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn, Emmanuel cares for his mates in Fresno, but is a muted when it comes to being a mentor himself.

“I need to focus on why I’m here….I try to show them by example of what it is like to be a big league player.”

Whether it is the DC in him or not, Burriss cares about the world around him. He proudly wears a Barack Obama necklace, given to him by his girlfriend. “It’s the way I can show support for the first black president.”

He also counts former Washington mayor Marion Berry as a family friend.

With his speed and glove, Burriss is too talented to stay in the minors for very long. While he may not have the pop in his bat that the Giants have lacked since the days of Jeff Kent, he makes up for it with his humble attitude and desire to once again be a Major Leaguer.

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TWO GRIZZLIES NAMED TO PCL ALL-STAR TEAM

Bowker, Pucetas get the call.

From fresnogrizzlies.com:

The Pacific Coast League announced that outfielder John Bowker and pitcher Kevin Pucetas will represent the Fresno Grizzlies on the PCL All-Star Team. Bowker, Pucetas, and their fellow PCL All-Stars will take the field against the best of the International League in the 2009 Triple-A All Star Game on July 15th at PGE Park, home of the Portland Beavers. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm PDT.

The 2009 Pacific League All-Star squad is made up of 13 elected players who have received the most votes from ballots submitted by clubs’ field managers and general managers (1/3), members of the media (1/3), and online fan voting (1/3). The elected players are joined by 15 additional All-Stars selected by the Pacific Coast League office. All sixteen PCL clubs will be sending at least one representative to Portland.

Bowker was the leading vote getter from field managers and general managers, and members of the media, earning him a starting role in this year’s All-Star game. In his fifth season in professional baseball, Bowker makes the Triple-A All-Star squad in his first full season in the league, pacing the Grizzlies offense in every major statistical category. The left-handed slugger is among the league leaders in several offensive columns, as the Long Beach State product is second in the PCL in batting average (.359), fifth in hits (93), first in on-base percentage (.460), third in runs scored (58), and third in slugging (.637).

Bowker was named PCL Hitter of the Week in back-to-back weeks on May 25th and June 7th, and is coming off a month of June where he batted .392, with 12 home runs – a new Grizzlies Franchise record for homers in one month – and 29 RBI. He has racked up 16 home runs and 37 extra-base hits on the season.

Pucetas has been the anchor on the Fresno pitching staff, and one of the most commanding hurlers in the PCL this season. The South Carolina native, who was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 17th round of the 2006 First Year Player Draft out of Limestone College, has a league leading eight wins (tied with two others), a 3.17 ERA (5th in PCL), and has tossed the second most innings in the PCL (96.2). Pucetas has only improved as the season has progressed, going 3-1 in June with a 2.68 ERA in six starts, and an impressive 5-0 record and 1.02 ERA on the road this season. This will be the third minor league All-Star selection for the righty, as he has posted dominating numbers at each level thus far.

The PCL is looking for its second consecutive Triple-A All-Star game victory, after winning the contest by a score of 6-5 in the 2008 All-Star game hosted in Louisville, Kentucky. This will be the 12th showdown under the current IL vs. PCL format, with the PCL having a one game edge in the record books at 6-5. The winning League will have its champion play as the home team in the Triple-A Championship Game – the Bricktown Showdown – in Oklahoma City this September.

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BOWKER BLASTS INTO GRIZZLIES RECORD BOOKS

Fresno’s power hitting outfielder launches his 12th homer in June; Grizzlies beat Salt Lake 4-1 Tuesday.

By Megan Poindexter
VSP Senior Writer:

John Bowker didn’t know he had broken a Fresno Grizzlies franchise record on Tuesday night at Chukchansi Park.

Better yet, Bowker wasn’t aware that even he was in contention to break a record.

But he did.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Bowker belted a solo shot over the center field fence to take the Fresno Grizzlies title for the most home runs hit in a single month with 12 in Fresno’s 4-1 win over the Salt Lake Bees.

“I didn’t even know that I had broke the record until it was announced,” said Bowker. “It’s an honor though, because a lot of really good players have come through Fresno.”

With his consistently dominating performances at the plate, Bowker is pushing the limits in being classified with some of the best hitters to have ever come through Fresno.

He is hitting .359 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI this season thanks to his new approach at the plate.

“I’ve just become a lot more patient at the plate and waiting to get that one pitch,” said Bowker.

Every time Bowker is up to bat he gets better and better at challenging the count. Instead of swinging at anything that looks like a decent pitch, Bowker eases up and forces a pitcher to beat him with a good pitch.

“We aren’t telling him anything right now except to keep doing what he is doing,” said Grizzlies’ manger Dan Rohn.

Bowker’s strengths at the plate aren’t new to anyone who has followed his career, however.

In 2007 he set a franchise record with 22 home runs and 90 RBIs at the Double-A level in Connecticut.

When he final got his shot at the big leagues, he maintained his persistent hitting and in his debut with the Giants last season he became the only rookie in franchise history to homer in his first two games in the majors. .

Bowker became an established threat for pitchers when he stepped to the plate, but on August 13th last season was optioned down to Triple A after hitting just .135 in 23 games.

But now that his numbers are climbing, it seems as though his chances of playing in the majors again are inching closer.

The only thing standing in Bowker’s way is the fact that the Giants already have a full roster with five solid outfielders, leaving him a little out of the loop.

Currently Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand, Nate Schierholtz, Andres Torres and Randy Winn fill in the Giants outfield, leaving not much room for the still blossoming Bowker.

“They really keep us in the dark about if we are getting moved up or not,” said Bowker. “It can be a little frustrating at times, but right now my job is here in Fresno.”

Rohn says Bowker simply needs to keep playing the way he is playing and his time will come.

“Right now he is one of the hottest players I have ever had in my career,” said Rohn. “We talk about him all the time to the guys in the majors, and they are taking notice of what he is doing.”

And while the Giants organization may be looking, there are also 29 other major league ball clubs taking notice in his success as well, as the deadline for any player trades is July 31.

For now, Bowker will concentrate on perfecting his game and becoming even more dominant of a force for his team.

“Every time you go out there your trying to win the game and that’s what matters,” said Bowker.

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