Kevin Gowdy is a talented Right Handed relief pitcher that came to the Dodgers this past off season via free agency. He was drafted in 2016 in the 2nd Round by the Philadelphia Phillies and was with them until July of 2021 when he was traded in a multi player trade that sent him to the Rangers organization.

After a year and a half with the Rangers, Gowdy became a Free Agent and chose the Dodgers. 

Roots

Gowdy grew up in Santa Barbara doing all the things that a typical California kid would do. He loved going to the beach, being active and, in particular, playing baseball. He played in some of the best local baseball organizations growing up and became a standout in High School at Santa Barbara Prep where he was the 2016 POY. 

He also got to pitch with Team USA 18U and won a gold medal as part of that team, so he was very well accomplished as a prep and is very thankful to everyone who helped along the way.

Tom Myers, the Warrackers back at Santa Barbara High School, all the coaches with the Phillies, the Rangers, and the Dodgers. It takes a village and I couldn’t go through each individual person, because there’s been a ton of people who I wouldn’t be here without, and they know who they are.

Gowdy has always been known for his big right arm, but, also as a pitcher that is very skilled in the art of pitching. He’s had great instruction through the years and is not shy to give credit to those that have helped him.

It all started with Tom Myers, who is currently a scout in the Dodgers system now, but he was the pitching coach for UCSB when I was growing up. I started going to lessons with him when I was 8 or 9 years old and he gave me a solid foundation of mechanics to build off of. 

Gowdy committed to play for UCLA after High School, but became the 1st pick of the 2nd Round of the 2016 draft, so turning pro, at that point, was a pretty easy decision.

UCLA was close to home and it’s a really good program. John Savage, their Head Coach, is really good with pitching development, so choosing UCLA was an easy decision for me. 

Gowdy continued about choosing to go pro instead

I figured there was a good chance the Draft would go the way I wanted it to, but I was ready to go to school. The Draft just kind of worked out how I wanted it to and the rest is history from there.

After being drafted, the Santa Barbara native spent parts of the next 6 seasons in the Phillies organization before being traded in July of 2021 to the Rangers. Being traded always creates mixed emotions, because you’re excited about your new opportunity, but are also leaving behind long standing and long lasting relationships. 

It was definitely pretty emotional getting traded because I had been through Tommy John with the Phillies and had been around for a few years with them, so I had developed some really special relationships. 

And gettting traded was tough, it was a new chapter and I was really excited about it, but, at the same time, it was tough saying goodbye to some of those guys. 

I’m super thankful for the Phillies taking a chance on me and helping me develop

After finishing 2021 and spending all of 2022 in the Rangers organization, the talented Right hander became a Free Agent this past off season and chose to become a Dodger.

When asked why he chose the Dodgers, here was his response.

The Dodgers are the best at player development. I mean, it’s funny, even on other teams, it’s like you hear stories about how they take care of their guys and how good they are with player development.

I threw for them in early January and they offered me a one year deal and I jumped right at it. I was really excited to get on board with it, and I’ve loved every bit of it so far.

Feature Cut

Gowdy has always featured a good 4 seam, and still throws it on occasion, but has added a Sinker to his fastball repertoire. His slider is a + pitch and he has also added a cutter that he is in the process of refining. 

His 4 seam fastball can reach the mid to upper mid 90’s and is thrown to the 4 spot location or at the top of the zone primarily. When spotted up properly, it gives him the ability to throw strikes without getting ambushed and to also get swing and miss. Click here or on the picture to the left to watch his 4 seam in action.

Many times clubs use spin rate to determine whether a pitcher should be throwing a 2 seam or 4 seam, and Gowdy can sometimes get caught in between. So, he’s added a Sinker to add movement in fastball counts. It’s a pitch he can throw to either righties or lefties, so it has turned into a very good pitch. Click here or on the picture to the right to watch his 2 seam in action. 

Gowdy’s cutter is a good pitch because it gives him the ability to move the ball away from barrels while also having a pitch that promises to be a high strike efficiency pitch. Click here or on the picture to the left to watch Gowdy throw his cutter.

Gowdy has a very good slider as well that he can get very good depth with when he’s ahead in the count and looking for a strike out. He’s very good at locating this pitch to the outer half, while also keeping it in the strike zone. Click here or on the picture to the right to watch his slider. 

The Journey Continues

Gowdy has been in professional baseball since 2016, has dealt with Tommy John surgery, the trade market, Free Agency and just about every other thing Minor League baseball could present. So, it’s been a good journey to this point, and one that is hopefully headed towards completion, which would be the MLB.

Big thanks to Kevin for taking some time to interview and allowing me to tell at least part of his story. It was a pleasure getting to speak with him and Dodgers Daily will be rooting for him all along his way. 

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