Sam Bowens

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1963-1969)

Sam Bowens was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1969 for the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Senators, a span of 7 seasons. In 479 career games, he hit .223 with 287 hits, 45 home runs, and 143 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .223
HR 45
RBI 143
H 287
OPS .657
PIV -591
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 188 lb
Born
3/23/1938 in Wilmington, NC, USA
Died
3/28/2003 in Wilmington, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1963-09-07
Last Game
1969-07-26

Full name: Samuel Edward Bowens

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Career Batting Statistics

Sam Bowens — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
479 1,287 141 287 48 6 45 143 25 100 293 .223 .283 .375 .657 -591

Career AVG .223 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.

Career OBP .283 vs. league average .310 across their career seasons — 8.8% below league average.

Career SLG .375 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .657 vs. league average .676 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sam Bowens — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1963 BAL AL 15 48 8 16 3 1 1 9 1 4 5 .333 — — — — 217.6
1964 BAL AL 139 501 58 132 25 2 22 71 4 42 99 .263 .250 (+5%) .312 (+3%) .377 (+20%) .690 (+12%) 1110.7
1965 BAL AL 84 203 16 33 4 1 7 20 7 10 41 .163 .245 (-34%) .310 (-36%) .371 (-20%) .682 (-28%) -921.9
1966 BAL AL 89 243 26 51 9 1 6 20 9 17 52 .210 .248 (-16%) .309 (-11%) .376 (-13%) .685 (-12%) -423.6
1967 BAL AL 62 120 13 22 2 1 5 12 3 11 43 .183 .242 (-24%) .306 (-16%) .357 (-4%) .663 (-10%) -180.3
1968 WS2 AL 57 115 14 22 4 0 4 7 0 11 39 .191 .236 (-19%) .298 (-12%) .340 (-3%) .638 (-7%) -123.3
1969 WS2 AL 33 57 6 11 1 0 0 4 1 5 14 .193 .248 (-22%) .320 (-19%) .369 (-43%) .689 (-32%) -269.9
Career · 7 seasons 479 1,287 141 287 48 6 45 143 25 100 293 .223 — — — — -591

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (479 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Sam Bowens — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home232577671312573.227
Away247711741562070.219

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sam Bowens — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1969-07-26 TEXOAKW 101000110
1969-07-25 TEXOAKL 000000000
1969-07-20 TEXNYYL 100000000
1969-07-19 TEXNYYW 100000001
1969-07-19 TEXNYYL 000000000
1969-07-18 TEXNYYL 100000001
1969-07-16 TEXDETL 301000011
1969-07-15 TEXDETW 321000011
1969-07-14 TEXDETW 000000000
1969-07-13 TEXNYYW 501100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sam Bowens — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 373 313 606 23 17 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sam Bowens — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 BAL OF 13 13 20 0 1 0
1964 BAL OF 135 132 249 8 5 1
1965 BAL OF 68 53 108 3 2 1
1966 BAL OF 68 56 114 7 5 2
1967 BAL OF 32 26 41 2 1 0
1968 WS2 OF 27 20 42 2 2 0
1969 WS2 OF 30 13 32 1 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sam Bowens — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Left Field 108
Center Field 10
Right Field 285

College History

Sam Bowens — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Tennessee State University Nashville TN 1956, 1957, 1958

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Sam Bowens (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jarred Kelenic
    .211 avg, 50 HR
  2. 96
    JaCoby Jones
    .212 avg, 32 HR
  3. 95
    Alek Thomas
    .230 avg, 31 HR
  4. 90
    Nick Senzel
    .232 avg, 40 HR
  5. 90
    Adam Engel
    .224 avg, 30 HR
  6. 88
    Kyle Isbel
    .235 avg, 29 HR

Sam Bowens: the record in brief

According to the bio, Sam Bowens debuted on September 7, 1963 and played a final game on July 26, 1969. Club by club, the record runs the Baltimore Orioles (1963 through 1967) and the Washington Senators (1968 through 1969). Bowens played primarily as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 23, 1938, in Wilmington, NC, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds. The bio records the death on March 28, 2003, in Wilmington, NC, USA. On the record, Sam Bowens was born Samuel Edward Bowens.

Bowens's career batting table shows 479 games, 1,287 at bats and 287 hits, a .223 average, plus 45 homers, 143 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Bowens's career OPS of .657 combines a .283 on-base mark with .375 slugging. Measured against the leagues Bowens played in, the .223 career average compares with a .246 league average over the same seasons, 9.2% below the league. The single-season home run high is 22, set in 1964. 1964 produced Bowens's most hits, 132 of them for the Baltimore Orioles.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Bowens

What years did Sam Bowens play?
Sam Bowens played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1969.
Was Sam Bowens a pitcher?
No. Sam Bowens was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Sam Bowens hit?
Sam Bowens hit 45 career home runs with 287 hits.
What teams did Sam Bowens play for?
Sam Bowens played for 2 teams: the Baltimore Orioles (1963–1967) and the Washington Senators (1968–1969).
What were Sam Bowens's career stats?
In 479 games, Sam Bowens had 287 hits, 45 home runs, 143 RBI, 141 runs, and 25 stolen bases, with a .223 batting average.
What position did Sam Bowens play?
Sam Bowens played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sam Bowens and how much did he weigh?
Sam Bowens was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 188 pounds.
How many home runs did Sam Bowens hit each season?
Sam Bowens's home runs by season: 1 in 1963, 22 in 1964, 7 in 1965, 6 in 1966, 5 in 1967, 4 in 1968, and 0 in 1969. His most in one season was 22, in 1964.
What was Sam Bowens's career batting average?
Sam Bowens batted .223 over his career, with 287 hits in 1,287 at bats.
How many RBI did Sam Bowens have?
Sam Bowens drove in 143 runs in his career.
Is Sam Bowens in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sam Bowens has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.