Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

Bowen could have played baseball and football at Michigan State coming out of an Ohio high school, but the Pirates tempted him into pro ball instead with an over-slot $392,500 bonus as an 11th-rounder in 2019. He flashed an intriguing power-speed combination in the Bucs' system -- most evident in a 23-homer, 26-steal campaign at High-A and Double-A in '23 -- but didn’t reach Triple-A until '25. The Padres signed Bowen as a Minor League free agent back in November and saw him take off in Spring Training and the first month of action at Triple-A El Paso.

The right-handed-hitting outfielder bops his front leg in his slightly open stance before getting going with a leg kick. He’s been hitting the ball harder with El Paso with a max exit velocity of 112.6 mph and a 90th-percentile EV of 106.4 entering late April. He can elevate well to help him pick up extra-base hits in bunches too; in fact, he hit for the cycle in just his fifth game of 2026. But while he’s reeled in some of the aggression he showed early in his career, he still expands the zone too much, which would limit that power and overall hitting potential in The Show, and he’s particularly vulnerable on breakers down and away out of the zone.

Even so, Bowen is at least an above-average runner capable of pushing for extra bases on balls to the gap or stealing bags when opportunities arise. That athleticism helps him on the grass too, and the Padres have played him at all three outfield spots to take advantage of it with an early emphasis on center field. With his twitchy toolset, Bowen could finally be pushing for an MLB debut as a fourth/fifth outfielder in his age-25 season.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

There’s long been a complaint that baseball hasn’t been doing enough to attract premium athletes to the pro game. The Pirates did their part at the start of Day 3 of the 2019 Draft when they took Bowen, a two-sport star from the Ohio high school ranks, in Round 11. They went over slot with a $392,500 bonus to sign him away from playing football and baseball at Michigan State. He’s shown off an improving power-speed combination in three years of full-season ball, reaching Double-A in 2023 and capping things off with a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League.

Bowen brings a football mentality to how he attacks the game, both in terms of his work ethic and how he’d run through a wall while playing center field. While his numbers were no doubt helped by hitting-friendly High-A Greensboro in 2023, the metrics under his 20-20 season were very good. He routinely registers high exit velocities with quality contact and does damage more consistently from the right side of the plate. There’s still work to be done on his approach as he continues to focus on not chasing and expanding the zone, with sweepers from right-handed pitchers particularly his kryptonite.

With above-average speed and that aggressiveness a plus on the basepaths, Bowen continues to be a legitimate basestealing threat. He’s an excellent defender who can definitely play center and also looks good in the corners with a strong arm, and he’s also proven to be a capable first baseman. He likely profiles as a fourth outfielder, but the quality of his at-bats in the AFL was encouraging, and if he can cut down the K’s and up his walk rate, there could be more here.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

Hailing from the Toledo area, Bowen was one of the better high school position players in Ohio in the 2019 Draft, but he was committed to go to Michigan State for both baseball and football. The Pirates did their homework, however, and had enough bonus pool money as Day 3 of the Draft started to take him in Round 11 and go over slot to sign him for $392,500. After a nondescript pro debut, he had to wait until 2021 to make his full-season debut. He started making some strides with a return to Bradenton in 2022, and he’s shown flashes of his considerable tools with a move to High-A Greensboro in 2023.

An athletic and powerful right-handed hitter, Bowen is capable of impacting the baseball with quality contact and more consistent exit velocities. He’s been able to get to his power more consistently in 2023, topping 20 homers for the first time, taking advantage of the hitting-friendly confines in Greensboro. While he has cut down his chase and swing-and-miss rates some, it’s a power-over-hit profile, and he’ll need to keep improving his swing decisions as he moves up.

Bowen is an above-average runner who can steal a base. He has a very good chance to stick in center field thanks to his speed, instincts and aggressive football mentality in tracking fly balls. He has plus arm strength, albeit without consistent accuracy, but he grades out as one of the better overall defensive outfielders in the system, and he’s also mixed in some first base for some versatility. He’s a bit of a volatile prospect, with his future value tied very strongly to his ability to refine his approach at the plate. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

Since the bonus pool system was instituted in 2012, teams have often used the 11th round on Day 3 of the Draft to take a shot at tougher-to-sign high school types, using excess pool money to go over slot for picks after the 10th. The Pirates have had some success, getting 2022 Futures Gamer Mike Burrows in 2018 and then Bowen in 2019, giving him $392,500 to sign him out of his Toledo, Ohio, high school.

While Bowen certainly suffered from the pandemic-caused lack of developmental reps, he’s started to show off the tools the Pirates liked so much in a return engagement in Single-A Bradenton in 2022. There is considerable raw power he’s learning to tap into from the right side, easily plus. The big question is if he’ll hit enough to get to it as he moves up, as he needs to continue to cut down on his swing-and-miss and refine his approach.

Bowen runs well, and the Pirates believe he has the chance to be a plus defender in center field in time, though he’s also seen time at second and first base. The key to his future is tied to how much he can develop that hit tool.

Awards

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

SAL Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

FSL Player of the Week

Week	Team
07/31/2022

FSL Player of the Month

Month	Team
07/2022

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	11/26/2025	CF Jase Bowen roster status changed by San Diego Padres.
	11/26/2025	El Paso Chihuahuas activated CF Jase Bowen.
	11/26/2025	CF Jase Bowen assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas.
	11/26/2025	San Diego Padres signed free agent CF Jase Bowen to a minor league contract.
	11/06/2025	CF Jase Bowen elected free agency.
	08/06/2025	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Indianapolis Indians from Altoona Curve.
	06/19/2025	Altoona Curve activated CF Jase Bowen from the 7-day injured list.
	06/17/2025	Altoona Curve sent CF Jase Bowen on a rehab assignment to Greensboro Grasshoppers.
	06/12/2025	Altoona Curve sent CF Jase Bowen on a rehab assignment to Bradenton Marauders.
	06/12/2025	Altoona Curve sent CF Jase Bowen on a rehab assignment to Bradenton Marauders.
	05/02/2025	Altoona Curve placed CF Jase Bowen on the 7-day injured list.
	02/26/2025	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates.
	03/07/2024	Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects activated CF Jase Bowen.
	02/25/2024	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates.
	11/03/2023	National League Fall Stars activated CF Jase Bowen.
	11/03/2023	sent CF Jase Bowen on a rehab assignment to National League Fall Stars.
	09/22/2023	Salt River Rafters activated CF Jase Bowen.
	09/06/2023	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Altoona Curve from Greensboro Grasshoppers.
	03/10/2023	CF Jase Bowen and assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates.
	11/09/2022	Sydney Blue Sox activated CF Jase Bowen.
	11/09/2022	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Sydney Blue Sox.
	08/09/2022	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Greensboro Grasshoppers from Bradenton Marauders.
	03/30/2022	CF Jase Bowen and assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates.
	05/01/2021	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Bradenton Marauders.
	05/01/2021	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Bradenton Marauders from GCL Pirates.
	05/01/2021	CF Jase Bowen assigned to Bradenton Marauders.
	02/23/2020	OF Jase Bowen assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates.
	06/19/2019	Pittsburgh Pirates signed OF Jase Bowen.
	06/19/2019	OF Jase Bowen assigned to GCL Pirates.