Matt Bowman

Bowman will miss the season after having Tommy John surgery in September 2020.

Bowman followed an injury-plagued 2018 campaign with a rough start to his first season in Cincinnati, posting a 5.48 ERA through 21.1 innings and logging significant time in the minors. The right-hander turned things around after being called up in September, however, as he finished the season with 10.2 scoreless innings during which he allowed only three hits. The strong month evoked reminders of Bowman's 2016-17 campaigns with St. Louis in which he collectively pitched in 134 games and collected 36 holds. Bowman doesn't offer much strikeout potential -- he owns a career 19.3 K% -- but he does an excellent job of limiting hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground, posting a 55.6 GB% last season. His performance in September and past big-league success could be enough to earn Bowman a spot in the Reds' bullpen in 2020, though saves are out of the question and plentiful holds are unlikely.

A year after leading the Cardinals in appearances and finishing top 10 in the majors with 75, Bowman took the mound just 22 times in 2018 and just twice after the All-Star break. Blister issues put Bowman on the disabled list on a couple occasions in the first half, and he ended up undergoing surgery later in the year to address a finger-circulation issue. The results on the field were ugly and St. Louis left Bowman exposed to waivers at the conclusion of the season, with the Reds taking advantage. Before what was essentially a lost season, Bowman had shown an ability to keep the ball on the ground as well as an ability to retire hitters on both sides of the plate. He doesn't have the bat-missing ability to ever be a closer (career 19.5 K%), but with better health Bowman should have little trouble securing a spot on Cincinnati's Opening Day roster. Double-digit holds are well within reach.

Bowman made 75 appearances last season, leading the Cardinals and tying for seventh in the majors. He performed well and the peripherals once again mostly supported the strong surface ratios; the right-hander certainly didn't miss bats at a prolific clip (7.1 K/9), but he limited the free passes (7.3 percent walk rate) and homers thanks to a 54.6 percent groundball rate. Bowman relies on his sinker as his primary pitch, but he also throws a splitter, and the ability to change speeds effectively has led him to a great deal of success against lefties through two major-league seasons. In fact, he has a reverse platoon split, with lefty bats combining for a .258 wOBA compared to .290 for righties. Manager Mike Matheny will continue to call on Bowman to get out of late-inning jams, but the lack of swing-and-miss stuff figures to keep Bowman from challenging for the ninth-inning role.

The speed at which Bowman acclimated to the majors came as a pleasant surprise as he was coming off a subpar go-around at Triple-A Memphis in 2015. While his 3.46 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 18.5 percent strikeout rate may not jump off the page, Bowman was excellent at retiring batters via the groundball -- he rounded out the season with a 4.00 GB/FB ratio. As he continued to progress, St. Louis opted to use Bowman more frequently in high-leverage situations. He picked up eight holds over his last 15 appearances and finished the season with 13, which was good for third on the team. Heading into his second season, Bowman will look to add something to his strikeout rate and solidify a prominent role the bullpen.