Any good team has a good closer, but even teams which start out mediocre like the Shorebirds have so far in 2010 can have a go-to guy as well. On this team, the position is well-held by Josh Dowdy.
Josh holds the team lead in saves with 4 (out of 5 so far this season as a team) and is second in games finished with eight. But more importantly from a career standpoint is the stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio Dowdy has put up – in 13 2/3 innings Josh has fanned 19 while walking just 2. To put this in perspective, 19 of the 41 outs recorded (nearly half) have come from strikeouts, which is a fantastic ratio. For example, in a two-inning stint against Hagerstown (when the photo above was taken) Josh recorded five of the six outs via the K.
Perhaps that’s why has WHIP is a microscopic (and team leading) 0.88 as he’s given up just 10 hits in his appearances.
While Josh wasn’t highly thought of out of college (the Florida native was drafted in the 38th round last year from Appalachian State) his numbers last year at Bluefield and Aberdeen suggested he could be a fine reliever. Over 31 innings Dowdy fanned 33 and walked 12, racking up 10 saves between the two teams.
At 23, Josh’s development seems to be right on schedule for continued advancement; in the meantime Ryan Minor seems to have found someone reliable to shut the door when the Shorebirds have a lead to protect.