Rich Rowland

Catcher

Born: February 25, 1964 (age 53)
Cloverdale, California

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

MLB debut

September 7, 1990, for the Detroit Tigers

Last MLB appearance

June 19, 1995, for the Boston Red Sox

MLB statistics

Games played

At bats

230

Batting average

.213

Teams

Detroit Tigers (1990–1993)
Boston Red Sox (1994–1995)

Richard Garnet Rowland (born February 25, 1964 in Cloverdale, California) is a former baseball player for Major League Baseball who played from 1990–1995. He played as a backup catcher for the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. In addition to catching, he also played sparsely as a designated hitter, first baseman, third baseman, and pinch runner (although appearing only as a pinch runner in a game does not count as a game played). Prior to playing professional baseball, Rowland attended Mendocino College in nearby Ukiah, California. He also had a longer career in minor league baseball on and off from 1988–1997, where he even served as a pitcher in three games.

Rowland played for minor league baseball for a total of nine seasons from 1988–1997; he did not play in the minor leagues in 1994. He played for the minor leagues during the same seasons that he also played in the Major Leagues. He debuted in the minor leagues on the Bristol Tigers (now the Bristol Pirates) in 1988— a rookie-class Appalachian League team formerly owned by the Detroit Tigers. That season, he played 56 games for a .274 batting average in 186 at-bats as catcher. In 1989, he advanced to the Tigers' A-class Fayetteville Generals of the South Atlantic League, where he had a .272 batting average, 102 hits, and nine home runs. He also recorded two games pitched, pitching a total of two innings and allowing one run. Continuing through the Tigers' farm system, he advanced to the AA-class London Tigers of the Eastern League in 1990. He played for London for the first half of the season, where he statistics were impressive enough for a mid-season promotion to the AAA-class Toledo Mud Hens of the International League. For London, he batted .286 with 46 hits in 47 games with 161 at-bats. For Toledo, he batted .260 with 50 hits and 192 at-bats.

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