Diamondbacks' Henry Owens: Joins Arizona on minors deal
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The Diamondbacks signed Owens to a minor-league contract Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Owens was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Dodgers in mid-May. The 25-year-old was briefly in Arizona's organization this offseason before ending up in Los Angeles, and should serve as organizational pitching depth for the Diamondbacks.
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Dodgers' Henry Owens: DFA'd by Dodgers
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Owens was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Friday.
Owens was making the transition from starter to reliever this spring, but has yet to make an official appearance in the minors in 2018. The moves creates room on the 40-roster as the Dodger claimed Erik Goeddel off waivers from the Mariners.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Owens, who was optioned to the organization's minor-league camp a day earlier, would be developed as a reliever going forward, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Owens' transition to the bullpen is a logical one given the extreme control problems he had displayed in the high minors and in five starts with the Red Sox over the past two seasons. By paring down his repertoire and adding a couple ticks to his low-90s fastball, Owens could quickly find success in a one- or two-inning role. The Dodgers will presumably let Owens get his feet wet in the bullpen at Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the season and assess if he can be a relief weapon from the left side for the big club down the line.
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Dodgers' Henry Owens: Optioned to minors
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The Dodgers optioned Owens to their minor-league camp Saturday, Daren Smith of MiLB.com reports.
The Dodgers' starting-pitching depth is arguably unmatched by any organization, so Owens, a December waiver pickup from the Red Sox, was never considered likely to break camp with the big club. It's expected that Owens will open the 2018 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where his primary focus will be reducing his sky-high walk rate. Over 126 innings split between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket last season, Owens walked a whopping 115 batters.
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Dodgers' Henry Owens: Claimed by Dodgers
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Owens was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on Friday, Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports.
Owens continues to bounce around this winter, and now winds up with the Dodgers after being placed on waivers by Arizona following the signing of relief pitcher Yoshihisa Hirano. During the 2017 season, Owens spent time between Double and Triple-A but wasn't able to figure out the command issues that have plagued the 25-year-old in the past. Moving forward, if he ends up sticking with his new club for the rest of the offseason, he will likely begin the 2018 campaign back in Triple-A with Oklahoma City.
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Diamondbacks' Henry Owens: Claimed by Arizona
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Owens was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks on Friday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Owens was recently placed on outright waivers by the Red Sox after spending the 2017 season toiling in the minors with Triple-A Pawtucket and Double-A Portland. During 14 starts with Pawtucket, he posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.70 WHIP, while accumulating a 72:60 K:BB. He will need to cut down on the control issues that have plagued him the past couple of seasons in order to receive a shot at a major-league job in 2018.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Placed on outright waivers
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Owens was placed on outright waivers by the Red Sox on Wednesday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Owens spent all of last season in the minors after a pair of brief major-league stints in 2015 and 2016. The big southpaw has flashed potential in the past, but his dreadful control problems were ultimately too much to overlook, as he walked 115 batters in 126 innings between Double- and Triple-A last season. The move effectively removes Owens from Boston's 40-man roster; he'll take a spin through waivers to determine where he'll wind up next.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Altered mechanics at Double-A
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Owens will make his first start for Double-A Portland on Monday, Mark Chiarelli of MassLive.com reports.
Owens was demoted from Triple-A Pawtucket after he walked 60 batters in 69 innings, continuing an alarming trend of increased walk rates over the last three seasons. At Portland, the coaching staff has significantly re-worked his pitching mechanics, ditching the over-the-top release in favor of a three-quarters arm slot. He's thrown off a mound once since the change and will put it to a test Monday.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Demoted to Double-A
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Owens was demoted to Double-A Portland on Monday, Evan Drellich of CSN New England reports.
In what has become a common theme throughout his career with the Red Sox, Owens is battling command issues this season en route to a 72:60 K:BB ratio and 1.70 WHIP. The 24-year-old will move down one tier to work out the problems, though the move is incredibly discouraging as to his chances for a return to the majors this season and likely puts him on a short leash in terms of staying in the starting rotation. Owens will need to show dramatic improvement from his recent minor-league starts, as he's walked 46 batters over his last 45 innings.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Looks sharp to start season
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Owens allowed one run (unearned) on two hits and four walks while striking out 10 over six innings for Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.
Owens reworked his delivery late in spring training and has been effective ever since. The left-hander still has some control issues, but more of his pitches are around the zone, where his stuff will play. Through two starts, Owens has a 0.82 ERA. He appears to be owning this new delivery, and the initial promising results have led to a more confident pitcher.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Shows promise with new delivery
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Owens walked just three batters over 12 innings in his final two spring outings, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
The lanky left-hander reconfigured his windup to more closely approximate his delivery from the stretch and the results were encouraging. Owens' fastball sat at 90-92 mph -- up from the high-80s velocity he showed in 2016 -- and he elicited a number of swings-and-misses with his changeup. An Owens who can repeat his delivery, find a consistent release point and is more in command of his fastball would solve a lot of Boston's rotation depth concerns.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Works on new delivery
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Owens is simplifying his delivery to one that starts with a smaller step, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
The change in Owens' delivery is intended to improve his command and reduce the walks. The shorter step will hopefully lead to a more direct path to the plate and a consistent release point while eliminating all the movement. Manager John Farrell remains committed to fixing Owens, who the manager still feels can be a depth starter for Boston.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Optioned to minors
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Owens was optioned to minor-league camp Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Even though David Price (elbow) seems on course to open the season on the disabled list, Owens wasn't a serious contender to fill the void in the rotation, as Price's absence is expected to pave the way for both Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz to claim starting roles. It didn't help matters that Owens was lit up during spring training, surrendering 13 runs on 13 hits and 12 walks over just 7.1 innings. The lefty will presumably begin the 2017 campaign with Triple-A Pawtucket, but will need to remedy his control issues before warranting a longer look in the majors.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Another walk-filled start
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Owens issued four walks and threw almost as many balls (30) as strikes (31) over 2.1 innings Saturday against the Twins, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.
Owens' inability to throw strikes consistently has undermined what was once a highly touted pitching prospect. The left-hander has issued 12 free passes in 7.1 innings this spring, but the Red Sox aren't ready to give up on him. Manager John Farrell said they'll continue to work with Owens, starting with some side sessions and most likely including some mechanical adjustments more drastic than previously considered. He's pitched parts of two seasons in Boston, but it's unthinkable the Red Sox would call on him as a depth starter at this point.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Takes a step back Monday
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Owens allowed a run on one hit and four walks while striking out two over one inning in Monday's game against the Astros.
If you're counting at home, Owens has allowed eight walks and eight hits in five spring innings. He continues to struggle with repeating his delivery, which leads to poor command. A one-time highly ranked pitching prospect in the organization, Owens is dropping rapidly down the hierarchy of depth starters.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Some good, some bad in spring debut
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Owens walked one batter and struck out four over two innings in Friday's game against the Mets.
Owens added 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason and showed improved arm strength in bullpen sessions this spring, but still needs work on his command. "We're going to hone in on the overall command. It bit him a little bit after the first hitter of the game (Friday)," manager John Farrell told Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Will start Grapefruit League opener
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Owens has been named the starter for Friday's game against the Mets at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers (Fla.), Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
Owens will turn 25-years-old during the 2017 season, so time is slipping away for a former top pitching prospect in the organization. The tall left-hander has struggled to consistently command his fastball, as evidenced by his 8.2 BB/9 in 22 innings for Boston in 2016. He was the first one to get a callup to start for Boston last season, but that may not be the case in 2017. Brian Johnson, Roenis Elias and former major-leaguer Kyle Kendrick will also be considered should Boston need an emergency fill-in starter.
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Red Sox's Henry Owens: Depth starter entering 2017
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Owens is expected to start the 2017 season in the rotation at Triple-A Pawtucket and will be one of the first names considered as a depth starter for Boston.
Very little went right last season for Owens, who walked 20 batters in 22 innings for Boston during 2016 when he posted a 6.95 ERA in five starts. Fastball command has been his bugaboo, as the 6-foot-6 lefty has had trouble repeating his delivery. It's not uncommon to see young, tall pitchers struggle with repeating mechanics and release points as they adjust to a still-maturing frame. There's hope Owens can put it together, but last season was a big step back after he showed some improvement in his control during the 2015 season. If Owens continues to struggle in 2017, the Red Sox will look to others, like Roenis Elias or Brian Johnson, as potential fill-in starters.
