NEW YORK -- A pair of Colorado Rockies minor leaguers, first baseman Brent "Bo" Bowman and outfielder Shane Lowe, have each been suspended for 50 games following positive tests for amphetamines.
The pair spent the season with the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League and will start the suspensions at the beginning of next season.
Marc Gustafson, the Rockies Director of Player Development, and Dust Devils manager Fred Ocasio were unavailable for comment.
Bowman, a 22nd-round pick two years ago out of Louisiana State, led the team in hitting (.328), home runs (seven) and RBIs (46) in 55 games at Tri-City and also went
1-for-21 for Asheville of the South Atlantic League.
Bowman was in his second year with Tri-City and was instrumental in securing the team's second East Division title in the last three seasons. The 6-foot-2 left-hander hit .432 (19-for-44) over the final 12 games of the regular season as the Dust Devils won 13 of their final 16 games heading into the NWL championship series.
Lowe, a 29th-round draft pick three years ago, hit .147 with one homer and eight RBIs for Tri-City during the regular season. He also tied for second on the team with 10 stolen bases.
In the NWL championship series, Bowman went 1-for-10 against Salem-Keizer, which won three of four games against
Tri-City for the title. Lowe, a 6-3 switch-hitter, did not play in the series.
Another member of the Dust Devils, outfielder Kevin Clark, served a similar 50-game suspension for amphetamines earlier this season before joining the team in June. He began the season at
High-A Modesto before the suspension was announced on May 1.
The penalties were issued under the minor league drug prevention and treatment program.
There have been 71 suspensions this year under the minor league program and four under the major league plan.
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