The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder Dustin Fowler for cash considerations on Wednesday after he was designated for assignment by the A’s on Monday in order to make room for relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal.
Fowler, a former top prospect, was one of the trade pieces along with James Kaprielian and Jorge Mateo the A's acquired in 2017 from the New York Yankees in the Sonny Gray trade. Kaprielian is the lone survivor left with the A’s from the transaction. Fowler was the highest-rated prospect of the group.
Fowler was ranked the No. 88 overall prospect by Baseball America in 2018.
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In June of 2017, while with the Yankees, Fowler slammed into the wall in right field while chasing a foul ball. He ruptured his patella tendon. It was his major league debut.
Fowler, 26, played in 69 games with the A’s in 2018, hitting .224/.256/.354 with six home runs. In 2019 with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, he batted .277 with 25 home runs in 130 games.
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Fowler has a ton of potential, especially if he plays true to his form. He stood out to the A’s front office on more than one occasion and he was able to redesign his swing which was a big part of his success.
Oakland Athletics
He now gets a fresh start with the Pirates.