Bob Bowman
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1959)
Bob Bowman was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1959 for the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 5 seasons. In 256 career games, he hit .249 with 129 hits, 17 home runs, and 54 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 192.
- 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- Died
- 1/27/2017 in San Jose, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1955-04-16
- Last Game
- 1959-09-18
Full name: Robert Leroy Bowman
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 256 | 519 | 71 | 129 | 19 | 5 | 17 | 54 | 0 | 48 | 109 | .249 | .317 | .403 | .719 | 192 |
Career AVG .249 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .317 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .403 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .719 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | PHI | NL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | PHI | NL | 6 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .188 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | PHI | NL | 99 | 237 | 31 | 63 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 27 | 50 | .266 | .257 (+3%) | .323 (+9%) | .391 (avg) | .715 (+4%) | 251.0 |
| 1958 | PHI | NL | 91 | 184 | 31 | 53 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 30 | .288 | .257 (+12%) | .324 (+6%) | .394 (+27%) | .719 (+17%) | 543.7 |
| 1959 | PHI | NL | 57 | 79 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 23 | .127 | .256 (-51%) | .323 (-46%) | .392 (-48%) | .715 (-47%) | -602.5 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 256 | 519 | 71 | 129 | 19 | 5 | 17 | 54 | 0 | 48 | 109 | .249 | — | — | — | — | 192 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | PHI | NL | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 6.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 6.00 | — | 0 | ||
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 (261 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 141 | 276 | 45 | 75 | 14 | 40 | .272 |
| Away | 115 | 243 | 26 | 54 | 3 | 14 | .222 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Away | 4 | 5.1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 6.75 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-18 | PHI | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-09-12 | PHI | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-09 | PHI | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-05 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-08-28 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-08-25 | PHI | LAD | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-08-24 | PHI | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959-08-21 | PHI | SFG | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-08-21 | PHI | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959-08-20 | PHI | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 5 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-18 | PHI | CHC | L | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-12 | PHI | SFG | — | 0.1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-09 | PHI | LAD | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-05 | PHI | PIT | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-08-28 | PHI | PIT | — | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 5 |
| Left Field | 32 |
| Center Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 129 |
Bob Bowman: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 16, 1955 and the final game on September 18, 1959, Bob Bowman built the record summarized on this page. All of the seasons listed were played for the Philadelphia Phillies. Listed as an outfielder, Bowman threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 195 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The birth record reads May 10, 1931, in Laytonville, CA, USA. The bio records the death on January 27, 2017, in San Jose, CA, USA. Bowman's full given name, per the bio, is Robert Leroy Bowman.
Across 256 games at the plate, Bowman's career line reads 129 hits in 519 at bats for a .249 average; the totals also include 17 homers and 54 runs batted in. Bowman got on base at a .317 rate and slugged .403 (.719 OPS). The .249 career average is close to the .258 the league hit across the same seasons. The highest hit total in a season was 63, in 1957.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Bowman
- What years did Bob Bowman play?
- Bob Bowman played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1959.
- Was Bob Bowman a pitcher?
- No. Bob Bowman was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 5 career games.
- How many home runs did Bob Bowman hit?
- Bob Bowman hit 17 career home runs with 129 hits.
- What was Bob Bowman's career batting average?
- Bob Bowman batted .249 over his career, with 129 hits in 519 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bob Bowman have?
- Bob Bowman drove in 54 runs in his career.
- What was Bob Bowman's career ERA?
- Bob Bowman finished with a 6.00 career ERA, going 0-1 with 0 strikeouts.