This guy is not getting much love for the season he is having. Yes, it started off very slow for Dayton, hitting just .186 in 100 at bats. But then he was promoted to Bakersfield. In 216 at bats there, he is hitting .377/.453/.481.

So, what is going on here? Well, there are a few things at work.

First, his BABIP went from .239 (way too low for someone with his speed) to .465 (way too high for anyone). Of course, when someone is hitting .377, you expect their BABIP to be way too high for anyone, because well, guys just don't hit .377.

His walk rate went from 12% in Dayton to 10.6% in Bakersfield, so nothing really there. His strikeout rate went from 19% to 17.6%, so there really isn't too much there either.

Looking at the batted ball types though, there is a huge difference. Line drives are the same rate, but his groundball rate went from 44% in Dayton to 64% in Bakersfield. As we know, groundballs go for hits more often than fly balls do, so that alone would be part of a reason to see a higher average. But when we toss in that Theo Bowe is as fast as anyone in baseball, well, those extra groundballs really mean something for him. While I haven't downloaded the files for the minor league season recently, I imagine that his infield singles rate is rather high, explaining in part, his very high BABIP.

Side note: Earlier today I was doing some video scouting, just getting some times on different players from home to first base. Pulled down a 3.72 on Theo Bowe. That is faster than any time that I have ever gotten (non-bunt). Billy Hamilton has gotten a 3.74 (note that I am using video here at 30 frames per second - so it isn't human error on the times) for the fastest I have ever gotten him at.