SEATTLE, Wash. – The Seattle Mariners selected outfielder Josh Stowers out of the University of Louisville with their 2nd round selection (54th overall pick) in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter announced tonight.
Stowers, 21, hit .336 (74×220) with 72 runs, 14 doubles, 4 triples, 9 home runs, 60 RBI, 52 walks, 36 stolen bases, a .477 on-base percentage and a .559 slugging percentage over 62 games in his recently-completed junior season with the Cardinals. Among NCAA Division-I leaders this season, the 6-foot, 205-pound outfielder ranked T3rd in stolen bases, T5th in runs and T13th in walks. The right-handed hitter hit safely in 50 of 62 games this season with Louisville, including 19 multi-hit games.
Stowers entered the 2018 season ranked 35th on Baseball America’s Top 50 Junior Prospects list. Following the 2018 season, he was named 1st-Team All-ACC. He led the ACC in stolen bases this season, while also ranking 2nd in on-base percentage, T5th in RBI and 8th in batting.
In his collegiate career at Louisville, Stowers hit .323 (140×434) with 126 runs, 29 doubles, 7 triples, 15 home runs, 96 RBI, 85 walks, 60 stolen bases, a .449 on-base percentage and a .525 slugging percentage in 147 career games.
Following his freshman season in 2016, he appeared in 41 games with the Madison Mallards in the Northwoods League, where he hit .326 with 34 runs, 5 home runs and 27 RBI. He hit .250 (21×84) with 15 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 15 RBI, 10 walks and 12 stolen bases with the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod League following his sophomore season in 2017.
The native of Chicago, Ill., appeared in 3 seasons of prep baseball at Mount Carmel High School (Chicago, Ill.), where he hit .387 during his senior season. After batting .365 while helping Mount Carmel HS to the 2013 state championship as a sophomore, he was named all-conference and all-area.
