gold star for USAHOF

29. Larry Bowa

29. Larry Bowa
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: December 6, 1945 in Sacramento, CA USA
  • Weight: 155 lbs.
  • Height: 5'10"
  • Bats: B
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: April 07, 1970
  • Final Game: October 06, 1985
  • Gold Glove - 1972
  • TSN All-Star - 1975
  • Gold Glove - 1978
  • TSN All-Star - 1978
  • MVP - 1975
  • MVP - 1976
  • MVP - 1977
  • MVP - 1978
  • Rookie of the Year - 1970
 
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Larry Bowa was an excellent fielding Shortstop throughout his lengthy 2,247 Game tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies.  Five times Bowa would lead all of the National League Shortstops in Fielding Percentage and was also in the top ten in Defensive bWAR five times, culminating in 1978 where he led everyone in the National League regardless of position. 

While Bowa did not hit for any power, he did connect on a lot of base hits, stroking 1,798 Hits and batting over .280 in three seasons for Philadelphia.  Bowa had good speed as shown by his nine seasons of 20 or more Stolen Bases.  Bowa had a 192 Hit season in 1978 where he finished third in National League MVP voting.  He was also a solid part in the 1980 World Series win as he batted .375 in the Fall Classic.   

He would become a successful Manager and would be named the Manager of the Year in 2001 when he was helming…who else?  Philadelphia. 

If this rank seems a little low it has to be reminded that the final two-thirds of his Slash Line is .301 and .324 respectively and with only 13 Home Runs there were certainly aspects of Bowa’s came that left a lot to be desired.  He was later inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1990.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Short Stop
  • Acquired: Signed as an Amateur Free Agent 10/12/65.
  • Departed: Traded to the Chicago Cubs with Ryne Sandberg for Ivan DeJesus 1/27/82.
  • Games Played: 2247
  • Notable Statistics: 816 Runs Scored
    1,798 Hits
    206 Doubles
    81 Triples
    13 Home Runs
    421 Runs Batted In
    288 Stolen Bases
    .264/.301/.324 Slash Line
    21.6 bWAR

    27 Playoff Games
    10 Runs Scored
    27 Hits
    3 Doubles
    0 Triples
    0 Home Runs
    5 Runs Batted In
    4 Stolen Bases
    .262/.315/.291 Slash Line
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    World Series Champion (1980)
    All-Star (1974, 1975, 1976, 1978 & 1979)
    Gold Glove (1972 & 1978)
    Highest Defensive bWAR (1978)
    Most At Bats (1971)
    Most Triples (1972)
    Most Singles (1971)
    Most Sacrifice Hits (1972)
    Highest Stolen Base Percentage (1977)
    Most Outs Made (1971 & 1974)
    Most Assists (1971)
    Most Assists by a Shortstop (1971)
    Most Double Plays Turned by a Shortstop (1971)
    Most Total Zone Runs by a Shortstop (1978)
    Highest Range Factor per Game by a Shortstop (1971)
    Highest Fielding Percentage by a Shortstop (1971, 1972, 1974, 1978 & 1979)

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