SAN DIEGO — When Jase Bowen, 25, was eligible for minor league free agency after six years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he signed with the Padres on the first day he was allowed to.
“I had a good conversation with [Padres Director of Pro Scouting] Pete DeYoung, and he told me there were a lot of opportunities here to get regular at-bats along with a chance to compete for a job in spring training,” said Bowen to us in late April.
Jase Bowen has provided a spark to the Padres on the basepaths. #(Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
“It was really as simple as that.”
In 49 games and 222 plate appearances with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, Bowen delivered a slash line of .292/.362/.600 with 29 extra-base hits and 13 home runs and flashed the plus speed that made him a highly coveted wide receiver prospect out of high school in the outfield and on the base paths.
Jase Bowen was impressive in the field and at the plate in El Paso. (Photo: Deanna Almaguer)
“Obviously, he has things to work on like everyone else, but if you talk about raw tools, the ability to square up a baseball, run like the wind, and play all three outfield positions at a plus level; this is what it looks like,” said his manager in El Paso, Pete Zamora.
The one knock on his time with the Chihuahuas was controlling the zone, with a chase rate at 32.57%, something Bowen was very much aware of.
“The strike zone,” said Bowen, on what he needed to improve the most. “I dug myself into a bit of a hole early on, and nerves may have had a part in it. I’ve been working on my strike zone recently and realizing that I need to get on base. I like home runs, but I like getting on base more.”
“When I get my pitch, I will hit it hard.”
After two months in the Sun City, San Diego called up Bowen for his major league debut on June 2, against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he singled in his third plate appearance after striking out the first two times in the night.
Bowen’s role on the team has mainly been as a late-inning defensive replacement in left and as a baserunner, utilizing his reported 4.5 40-yard dash time.
“The biggest thing is he is just getting more comfortable being in the major leagues,” said his manager Craig Stamen. “He’s not feeling like every at-bat, and every time he steps on the field, his career is on the line.
Jase Bowen is becoming more comfortable in his role with San Diego in 2026. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
“He is getting comfortable in the role that he has for the team, and he’s done great in that.” It is not necessarily home runs or doubles, but all the defensive plays he can make and the baserunning – and he’s been an elite asset for us in those roles.”
Although the numbers haven’t been good by any stretch with a .165 batting average in 60 games and 83 plate appearances, coming off the bench in your first season for one, maybe two at-bats two or three times a week is not the best way to improve; Bowen doesn’t quite see it that way.
“Mentally, just working on certain things and trying to stay as positive, relaxed, and ready to go,” said a smiling Bowen on where he believes that he has improved the most this season.
Even though he hasn’t been getting regular playing time on the field, he is getting regular work before games with a variety of coaches in the cage and through video.
“The number one thing is that pitching definitely elevates itself from Triple-A to the big leagues,” said Stamen. “Understanding this, and actually seeing it, now he knows what big league pitching looks like and how to take an at-bat.
“He has also been working in the cage, tightening up his swing and getting a shorter move-and-ball strike stuff, where he has to sit in the cage and not just swing all the time, but decide what is and isn’t a good pitch to hit.”
After striking out 15 times in his first 35 plate appearances with just four hits, he has improved the past two months with nine hits, including a pair of home runs in 47 plate appearances with only 15 strikeouts.
“I think it’s the hardest thing in sports,” said Bowen, a star multi-sport athlete at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, on his progress in not chasing outside the zone. “Mainly it is just trusting your work. I can’t overstate how important it is to be confident that your pre-game work will play in the game.
“When you believe that, it slows the game down.”