Dustin Fowler isn’t going to let a horrific injury sustained in the first inning of his major league debut change how he plays the game of baseball.
Last June 29, the then-Yankees outfielder slammed into a low wall in the right-field foul territory at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago while chasing a foul ball. His right knee struck an electrical box along the wall, and he sustained an open rupture of his patella tendon. The injury required season-ending surgery.
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A month later, Fowler was traded from the only organization he had ever played for to the A’s along with James Kaprielian and Jorge Mateo in the deal that sent Sonny Gray to New York.
“It was a hectic month, for sure,” Fowler said during the media availability portion of the A’s FanFest activities Jan. 26. “You’ve got the highest high of getting called up to the big leagues and then you have the lowest low of getting injured that game. Then you kind of get settled down after the fact and then you get traded. It was just a whirlwind of emotions.”
After a long and arduous rehab, Fowler received the news last week that he will be cleared to play games on Feb. 26. He’s eager to show his new organization what he’s all about.
“I’m just a guy who’s going to get after it,” Fowler said. “Obviously, it ended my year last year, but I’m going to run into a fence if I have to. I’m going to slide when I need to, I’m going to break up the double-play. That’s the guy I like to be. I don’t want to be the guy who comes off as the slacker.”
Al Pedrique, the A’s new first base coach, can vouch for Fowler’s work ethic. Pedrique was Fowler’s manager last season with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He came away impressed with Fowler’s individual drive.
“Last year was the first time I had him (as a manager),” Pedrique said at the FanFest media session. “We’d always talk about him in spring training. Couple things that I had heard was that the base-stealing, the bunting, that he was a long way away. Once we got him in Triple-A last year, this kid, right away, improved. He’s a quick learner.
“Center field defensively, he was outstanding. He got so much better with his jumps, routes, charging balls, being aggressive. Those were the things that we discussed during spring training last year, and he really did it on his own. He knew the things that he needed to do in order to be a better player.”
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Fowler prides himself on being able to contribute in a variety of ways.
“I’m not going to be the guy with the most talent in every aspect of the game,” he said. “I think I have a pretty good average feel in every aspect, so it’s a pretty good package I’m happy to have. I’ve always worked hard, so it gives me extra incentive to get out there and be better and better.”
Before the knee injury in Chicago, Fowler had a breakthrough season with the RailRiders. At the time of his call-up, Fowler was batting .293/.329/.542 with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 70 games at Triple-A as a 22-year-old.
“Every day throughout the year, he would do some things that would make you think, this kid is going to play in the big leagues sooner or later,” Pedrique said.
Fowler credits his big season at the plate to the work he did with P.J. Pilittere, who was Fowler’s hitting coach in Double-A and Triple-A.
“We were able to pretty much redesign my swing without making it unnatural,” Fowler said. “Being short to the ball and natural were the biggest keys to my success.”
Fowler’s power production increased significantly in 2017. Despite playing in only 70 games, Fowler set career-highs in home runs and triples. His .542 slugging percentage was his best by more than 80 points. Pegged for most of his career as a leadoff hitter because of his bat-to-ball skills and speed, Fowler’s profile changed with the added power.
“He’s got some tools. He stole a lot of bases for us. His bunting got so much better. He was a leadoff (hitter), but I think he can do both,” Pedrique said when asked where Fowler can slot into a lineup. “He can lead off or he can hit in the middle of the order. Maybe sixth or seventh. He can create a lot of good things around the bases. He can hit for power, has occasional power. He will surprise you. He’s a fun kid to watch.”
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This spring, Fowler will be competing to be the A’s everyday center fielder. The injury came with Fowler playing right field; generally, he prefers being in the middle of the field, where he has had the majority of his reps as a pro.
“I’ve been in center field my whole career. I’m very happy being there,” he said. “I’ve worked so hard to stay there. That’s the ultimate goal is to stay there. I think I’m a better fit for center field. I think I can play all three. The Yankees were good for letting me get experience at all three, but from the time I was little I have wanted to be in center field. That’s where I’d love to be.”
The opportunity to compete for a starting role is one of the reasons Fowler is excited to join the A’s despite the fact that he is going from a Yankees team that nearly made the World Series to an A’s team that finished last in the AL West the past two seasons.
“Ever since I got the call that I was being traded, I was excited about coming here,” Fowler said. “I know that with the amount of talent that is here and the amount of young guys, the future is bright here. I was happy and I think that I have more of an opportunity to be an everyday player here than I did with New York. I was happy to be here and be a part of this organization.”
Fowler likes the fact that he is joining a young core similar to the one he left behind in New York. With the Yankees, Fowler was part of a highly-regarded group of prospects that moved through the system together.
“Most time when you think of big markets, there’s a lot of trades and a lot of guys going back and forth, but I was with five or six guys that I was drafted with or the year after,” he said. “It was nice going into spring training because you knew exactly who you were going to be playing with that year. You’d been playing with them since you signed. You form a bond. We played great together.
“I think the biggest adjustment coming into this year is coming into a complex not knowing anyone. But it looks like there is the same kind of core that we had with the Yankees. Hopefully I’ll fit right in, they’ll accept me and we’ll get it going like we did out there.”
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His new teammates may not have recognized Fowler when they met him at FanFest. Now free from the Yankees’ facial hair restrictions, Fowler showed up in a full beard.
“I was talking to Kaprielian the other day (about the facial hair),” Fowler said, laughing. “It’s nice to not have to shave every other day and to be able to let it grow out however you want.”
With a beard and white cleats, Fowler may look different when he takes the field for the first time this spring, but he plans to utilize what got him to the big leagues last year.
“I’m just ready to start getting games going,” he said. “I’m starting to feel it.”
— Reported from Oakland
(Top photo: Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
