Bowden Francis

Robert Bowden Francis (born April 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Early life
Francis was born on April 22, 1996, in Tallahassee, Florida. He attended Chipola College in Marianna, Florida, and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.

Milwaukee Brewers
Francis made his professional debut with the Arizona League Brewers, pitching to a 8.10 earned run average (ERA) in four games. Francis split the 2018 season between the Class–A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Advanced–A Carolina Mudcats, posting a 7–10 win–loss record, 4.50 ERA, and 106 strikeouts in 128 innings pitched. The following season, Francis split the year between Carolina and the Double–A Biloxi Shuckers, and posted an 8–9 record, 3.97 ERA, and 165 strikeouts in 142$2/3$ innings of work. Francis did not play in a game in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic's cancellation of the minor league season. Francis began the 2021 season with Biloxi before being promoted to the Triple–A Nashville Sounds at the end of May. In 11 games between the two levels, Francis logged a 7–3 record and 3.62 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 59$2/3$ innings pitched.

Toronto Blue Jays
On July 6, 2021, Francis was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Trevor Richards in exchange for Rowdy Tellez. He was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and remained with the team for the rest of the minor league season. In 73 innings for the Bisons, Francis went 6–4 with a 4.19 ERA and 71 strikeouts. He was added to the 40-man roster following the season on November 19, 2021.

On April 25, 2022, Francis was called up by the Blue Jays. He made only one appearance against the Boston Red Sox, tossing a scoreless $2⁄3$ inning with one strikeout. On June 18, Francis was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple-A.

He began the 2023 season with Triple-A Buffalo, making four starts and recording a 3.45 ERA with 23 strikeouts in $15 2⁄3$ innings pitched. On June 6, 2023, Francis had his contract selected to the major league roster. In 20 relief outings for Toronto, he recorded a 1.73 ERA with 35 strikeouts across $36 1⁄3$ innings pitched.

Entering the 2024 season, the Blue Jays announced that Francis would be part of their season–opening rotation.

Personal life
Francis was named for Bobby Bowden.

Francis's mother died from breast cancer in 2014. Francis's younger brother, Harrison, was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fourth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.