The Dodgers Claim Henry Owens Off Waivers From Diamondbacks
The Dodgers claimed left-handed pitcher Henry Owens off waivers on Friday. Owens is 25-years old and spent his whole career with the Red Sox before being claimed off waivers by Arizona this winter.
#Dodgers claim LHP Henry Owens on waivers from Diamondbacks.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) December 22, 2017
Owens is a former top prospect who struggled to find consistency during his time in the Majors. In 16 starts for the Red Sox, Owens pitched to a 5.19 ERA with 71 strikeouts over 85 innings. He’s coming off of an up and down season in the minors, pitching to a 4.21 ERA with 121 strikeouts over 126 innings between double-A and triple-A in 2017.
Owens was a first round pick by the Red Sox after a stellar career for Edison High School in Huntington Beach. He was in the Red Sox organization for 6 seasons before being designated for assignment this offseason. He was initially claimed by Arizona, but the Diamondbacks had to make room for newly signed Yoshihisa Hirano on their roster. The Dodgers’ plan for Owens is unclear. He has worked almost exclusively as a starter in his career, 167 of his 168 appearances have been starts. He could be coming in to add depth to the Dodgers rotation, but he could also make the transition to the bullpen.
Owens has a fastball that sits in the high 80’s and can reach the low 90’s. He also features a curveball and a plus changeup. His changeup has often been viewed as his best out pitch, similar to Hyun-Jin Ryu. Owens did show some serious control issues in 2017, walking 115 batters. Despite this, Rick Honeycutt is known to turn guys like Owens into serviceable pitchers.
Claiming Owens seems like a small move, but it could pay big dividends down the road. Still just 25-years old, he has plenty of time to reach his potential with good coaching. What do you think of the acquisition? Let us know in the comments!
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I think he is worth the risk. Is a local kid and was a first round pick for a reason. With dodger coaches And family close by maybe he can turn things around.
If anyone can turn him around it would be Honeycutt. But the minor league pitching coach at OKC will get a shot as well at this.
Typical “low rent” move by Friedman.. I’m sure Owens won’t cost very much.. Dodgers need a bat..
Strange move hope Dodger’s moves won’t end there
I love it, still young and could work great in middle relief. Honeycutt is one of the best…..still wonder why he couldn’t see what was wrong with yu between his 2 world series starts