1950's JACK BOWEN LOUISVILLE SLUGGER GAME-USED BASEBALL BAT - DETROIT TIGERS MINOR LEAGUER
Picked up a c 1956-1960 Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger Game Used Baseball Bat that belonged to Detroit Tigers' Minor Leaguer, Jack Bowen. Bowen, a catcher, graduated from Detroit Redford High School in 1956. He also played with the 1956 Detroit Baseball Federation Champions, Walway team in Class D. Bowen received offers from 4 Major league clubs and signed with his hometown Detroit Tigers for $4,000. The Tigers assigned him to their Class C affiliate, The Idaho Falls Russets, in the Pioneer League. Here are his minor league stats:
yr age tm lev G AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1956 19 Idaho Falls C 94 280 70 9 1 3 .250
1957 20 Valdosta D 126 413 125 22 3 3 .303
1958 21 Durham B 87 303 84 13 1 5 .277
1958 21 Augusta A 24 88 21 3 2 0 .239
1959 22 Durham B 65 218 55 8 0 2 .252
1959 22 Knoxville A 9 26 4 .154
1960 23 Duluth-Superior C 50 168 45 5 2 4 .268
1960 23 Knoxville A 16 53 15 2 0 2 .283
1961 24 Durham B 18 50 16 2 0 1 .320
Career Stats 489 1599 435 64 9 20 .272
I found an autographed Detroit Tigers ball from later 1961 on the net that had a Jack Bowen signature. The seller listed Bowen as a coach, but, I have a 1961 Tigers' Yearbook and there is no mention of a Jack Bowen anywhere. Plus, he would not have been a major league coach at 24 years of age. A Mystery on that one. The knob is marked F3 which was a Jimmie Foxx style bat. It measures over 34". It is uncracked and the knob is not damaged. There are moisture marks on the knob and end of the barrel. There are scratches, a few dings and some white paing residue from hitting something I imagine. I did not attempt to clean this bat, but, I'm sure it can be made to look more attractive. Full signature bats from the minors from this era are more difficult to find I think than the last name only versions. This is a 1950-1960 model. I have a March 20, 1957 edition of The Sporting News that has a half page article written by Joe Falls about Bowen. Bowen was invited to The Tigers' spring training in Lakeland, FL as they were a bit short on catchers. Falls wrote about the local boy and his daily regiment. Bowen never made the majors.
yr age tm lev G AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1956 19 Idaho Falls C 94 280 70 9 1 3 .250
1957 20 Valdosta D 126 413 125 22 3 3 .303
1958 21 Durham B 87 303 84 13 1 5 .277
1958 21 Augusta A 24 88 21 3 2 0 .239
1959 22 Durham B 65 218 55 8 0 2 .252
1959 22 Knoxville A 9 26 4 .154
1960 23 Duluth-Superior C 50 168 45 5 2 4 .268
1960 23 Knoxville A 16 53 15 2 0 2 .283
1961 24 Durham B 18 50 16 2 0 1 .320
Career Stats 489 1599 435 64 9 20 .272
I found an autographed Detroit Tigers ball from later 1961 on the net that had a Jack Bowen signature. The seller listed Bowen as a coach, but, I have a 1961 Tigers' Yearbook and there is no mention of a Jack Bowen anywhere. Plus, he would not have been a major league coach at 24 years of age. A Mystery on that one. The knob is marked F3 which was a Jimmie Foxx style bat. It measures over 34". It is uncracked and the knob is not damaged. There are moisture marks on the knob and end of the barrel. There are scratches, a few dings and some white paing residue from hitting something I imagine. I did not attempt to clean this bat, but, I'm sure it can be made to look more attractive. Full signature bats from the minors from this era are more difficult to find I think than the last name only versions. This is a 1950-1960 model. I have a March 20, 1957 edition of The Sporting News that has a half page article written by Joe Falls about Bowen. Bowen was invited to The Tigers' spring training in Lakeland, FL as they were a bit short on catchers. Falls wrote about the local boy and his daily regiment. Bowen never made the majors.
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