GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former Florida right-handed pitcher Jackson Kowar will be recalled from Triple-A Omaha to make his Major League debut for the Kansas City Royals against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Kowar, who pitched for the Gators from 2016-18 and won a National Championship with the program in 2017, amassed a 5-0 record in six starts with 41 strikeouts across 31.2 Triple-A innings to start the 2021 campaign. With the promotion, Kowar effectively becomes the 75th former Florida player to make it to the big leagues and will be the 11th Gator on a current MLB roster (injured list included).
As one of three Florida players to be taken in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Kowar follows Jonathan India (fifth overall) as the second member of the 2018 class to make his Major League debut in 2021. Fellow 2018 draftee Brady Singer (18th overall) previously debuted with the Royals as a rookie in 2020.
Prior to being chosen by the Royals with the 33rd overall pick, the right-hander totaled a 25-6 career record at Florida over 255 innings with a 3.53 ERA and 243 strikeouts. Kowar’s 25 wins rank second in program history, while his .806 winning percentage and 243 strikeouts are good for third and 10th all-time, respectively.
Kowar was named All-SEC Second Team as a junior in 2018, pitching to a 10-5 record with a 3.04 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 112.1 innings of work. He also earned a trio of SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades during his time in Gainesville.
In receiving the promotion, Kowar now lines up for a double-start in the upcoming week with the Royals. Should the Charlotte, N.C. native remain in the rotation for a second turn, he would also pitch against the Oakland Athletics on the road on Saturday, June 12.
