51s’ Loewen trying to hit way back to big leagues

Babe Ruth and Rick Ankiel each famously made a successful transition from pitcher to position player in the major leagues.

Adam Loewen, a 51s outfielder and former Baltimore Orioles pitcher, is making steady progress in his quest to accomplish the same difficult feat.

"If it was easy, there'd be a lot more guys trying to do it," Las Vegas manager Marty Brown said. "When you look at the athletic ability Adam has, you could compare him to a Rick Ankiel kind of guy. He's got more height than Rick, and he might be more physical than Rick.

"It just takes a really good athlete to do what these guys are doing, and you have to respect that."

The 6-foot-6-inch, 230-pound Loewen is batting .313 for Las Vegas (37-29) with 11 home runs, 22 doubles and 46 RBIs in his third professional season as a position player after spending his first six as a pitcher.

After hitting .237 in April, Loewen batted .358 in May and started June with a season-high 10-game hitting streak.

The 27-year-old went 2-for-3 from the cleanup spot Tuesday in the 51s' 7-2 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Cashman Field.

"He's leaps and bounds better than he was out of spring training," Brown said. "He's like a sponge."

The fourth overall pick of the 2002 draft by Baltimore, Loewen went 8-8 with a 5.38 ERA in 35 appearances for the Orioles before rare, recurring stress fractures in the left-hander's left elbow forced him off the mound.

After making his major league debut in 2006, Loewen suffered a stress fracture in 2007, had season-ending surgery and rehabilitated the injury.

When he returned to action in 2008, he suffered another stress fracture in the same elbow. After doctors told Loewen surgery wouldn't necessarily fix the problem, he decided to dust off his batting gloves.

"I just did it because I knew I would enjoy doing it," he said. "I love playing baseball and didn't want to stop."

Loewen's passion and determination were put to the test in 2009, when he hit .236 with four homers and 31 RBIs at Class A Dunedin (Fla.) a year after pitching in the majors.

"It's really humbling when you go from the top to the bottom," he said. "It was tough, but I had so much fun playing, even when I hit .180 before the All-Star break with no home runs."

Loewen said he didn't become comfortable at the plate until last season, when he batted .246 with 13 homers and 70 RBIs for Double-A New Hampshire.

His progress has continued this season as he has started to hit off-speed pitches.

Loewen said he likes his chances to make it back to the majors as a hitter, and so does Brown.

"I would never bet against Adam Loewen," Brown said.

n NOTE -- The Blue Jays optioned right-handed pitcher Kyle Drabek to Las Vegas and promoted right-hander Zach Stewart to Toronto from New Hampshire. Drabek, 23, is 4-5 with a 5.70 ERA in 14 starts this season for the Blue Jays.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0354.