In the News
11/29/06.. adition.. Baseball Wekkly
Fowler, 20, drew interest from college teams as a high school basketball player. On the diamond last season, he flew a bit under the radar in part because he was out with a sprained ankle. He hit .296 with 43 steals (in 66 chances) for low-A Asheville. "He's a five-tool player," Gustafson says. "He's a switch-hitter who can run and has power; a very exciting player."
Fowler, 6-4 and 173 pounds, needs to fill out and cut down on strikeouts. He is ticketed for high-A Modesto next year.
10/5/06
Some of the top-rated prospects that will be playing in the Hawaiian League include Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond, Dodgers first baseman Blake Dewitt, Blue Jays outfielder Ryan Patterson, Astros infielder Koby Clemens and Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler.
"I'm ecstatic that I was one of the chosen few to play," says Fowler, 20, who as a high school star and young pro has already played in nine states. "Seeing different places, meeting different players has helped me. And I'm going to be in Hawaii. I think I'll see what I can do surfing. Being in Hawaii is going to be a lot of fun, but I know I have to get my work done, and I will." Baseball Weekly
9/29/06.. addition.. purplerow.com
Dexter Fowler - His abilities are just beginning to pop out. This could be a huge year for him if he's able to adjust smoothly to the more advanced pitching. He sandwiched three mediocre months between two brilliant ones in April and September, I'm hoping for more consistency next season.
8/11/06.. addition.. Rocky
Fowler didn’t start switch-hitting until the Rockies instructional league program in 2004, which was his introduction to the organization. He didn’t play professionally that year, signing that year on Aug. 17. About two weeks earlier, the Rockies traded Larry Walker to St. Louis. That deal freed up money and enabled the Rockies to sign Fowler, who had a full baseball scholarship to the University of Miami, for $925,000. He fell to the 14th round because clubs assumed he was going to college.
Asheville manager Joe Mikulik called Fowler "the most athletic guy I’ve had here in seven years. I haven’t had that type of athlete as far as the height, 6-5, the speed, the range and the arm strength. He’s got power. We need to put some meat on those bones, but he’s got a lot of strength. He’s an exciting guy. He’s a prototype center fielder because he’s going to have size, speed, power, range, arm (strength). He’s got it all. He makes center field look very easy."
A natural right-handed hitter, Fowler has made great progress from the left side. Jimmy Johnson, the Rockies roving hitting coordinator, said Fowler’s left-handed swing, stance and balance are better left-handed because he has been molded and developed from that side from scratch, beginning in the instructional league two years ago, and didn’t have to break any bad hab
5/08/06.. Purps 30 .. Purple Row.com
7. Dexter Fowler - cf
We hope nothing happened to him on the basepaths the other day, because there is no more explosive player in the Rockies system. He's a five tool athlete who was just starting to showcase his potential this season. Generally when the Rockies draft these toolsy players they are very raw and take years to develop, if they do at all. Not Dexter, this season he's shown maturity and polish at the plate, in the field and on the basepaths. We're getting good word about his willingness to listen to coaches and apply himself, so Fowler seems to be learning on a fast track. Should he prove healthy, this will hasten cheesy media headline writers christening Coors, "Dexter's Laboratory", by a season or two.
2/8/06.. analysis.. Top Prospect Alert.com
Potential -- Superstar. Every team, both real and fantasy needs to have that risk reward tools guy. Fowler isn’t a bad one to have. He could easily be a perennial all-star if he puts it all together.
Risks -- Yellow. The biggest risk with Fowler is that he hasn’t done much at the professional level yet. Until he puts it together in a Minor League uniform, there’s always the risk of him being a tools only guy. The work ethic is there, proven by the fact that Fowler decided to take on being a switch hitter in the middle of his first pro season. Considering this --and the long layoff between his high school career and pro debut -- Fowler’s .273 average in 2005 isn’t a bad start.
Offense -- Top end is what its all about with this guy so all of these things are assuming he comes close to reaching the top end. At 6-5, Fowler could be a special power hitter in Coors Field, with enough power to hit 35-40 balls out of the park and enough speed to be amongst the league leaders in extra base hits. Fowler can steal bases (18 in 62 2005 games) though he won’t get the chance to run much as a middle of the order guy in Coors Field. He’s one of those players who can help you in almost every category once he reaches his prime.
Defense -- Outstanding. He has the potential to be a Gold Glove Outfielder with his combination of speed, size and athleticism. Was good enough to be recruited by several schools as a high school basketball player. Should never be a concern to lose his job because of lack of defense or hustle.
Position Change -- None, the only way he’d stop playing centerfield is to play shooting guard.
Blocked By -- Cory Sullivan, Choo Freeman, Jeff Salazar. All these guys are ahead of Salazar in the system, but none of them are going to block Fowler from the Majors once he develops. Chris Nelson is the most likely competition for the job when its his time.
ETA -- Late-2008. Its going to take some time and some patience for Fowler to develop but he may well be worth the weight depending on your league structure and your ability to hold on to hopes.
Comparison -- Alexis Rios. Andre Dawson, Andruw Jones and Darryl Strawberry have all been thrown around for Fowler comparisons, but its more realistic to say he’s similar to the Blue Jays young slugger for now and upgrade as he develops. I wouldn’t recommend going out and trading a star for him but this player with the potential to come up to Coors Field is definitely worth getting if you can get him cheap.
