New arm angle, fresh start for Owens in Portland
Former top prospect hopes to re-find command in Double-A
HARTFORD, Conn. – The rebooted version of onetime ballyhooed Red Sox pitching prospect Henry Owens is scheduled to toe the rubber for Double-A Portland on Tuesday night.
Let’s hope what Sea Dogs manager Carlos Febles coined a “fresh start” along with a revamped release point proves to be the elixir that reinvigorates a career that arrived at a despondent crossroads twoand-a-half weeks ago when Owens was still making starts for the PawSox.
There’s been a lot of tinkering to Owens’ delivery in recent years, the premise beung that the adjustment, whether noticeable or minor in nature, would help to harmonize all the limbs in his lanky 6-6, 220-pound frame and get him to perform the primary creed of all pitchers – throw strikes and do so on a regular basis.
In 2015, Owens walked 56 in 122.2 Triple-A innings. Last year: 81 walks in 137.2 innings. This year featured 60 free passes in 69 innings, which averages out to 7.9 walks per nine innings. Two of his final three starts with Pawtucket saw Owens surrender eight walks each time. You can see why the Red Sox often sought to see if they could change him.
Now comes the latest adjustment: a delivery where the ball is released from a three-quarters angle. As Portland pitching coach Kevin Walker noted, think along the lines of Randy Johnson and Andrew Miller, two southpaws who eventually overcame slow starts to their respective careers. Once Johnson and Miller found an arm slot that agreed with each of them, the rest was history.
Owens was told he was Portland-bound after the PawSox docked in Lehigh Valley on June 26. He quickly answered the question of moving past the disappointment upon becoming a Sea Dog for the second time in his pro career.
“The first day he came here, he was in really good spirits. That was a great sign,” Walker said over the weekend while Portland was in Hartford for a four-game series with the Yard Goats. “I’m sure it was a bitter pill to swallow, but in no time the question became, ‘How can I turn the page?’”
Understanding that he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, Owens in no time jumped onboard with the drastic change to his arm slot.
“It’s something he’s bought into and is 100 percent committed to,” Walker said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way he’s worked.”
From what Walker described, noticeable gains to Owens’ new angle were made in the first couple of days after he rejoined Portland. Initially, the primary mission was to find a slot that felt smooth and could be repeated regardless if the catcher called for a fastball, his bread-and-butter changeup, or the occasional curveball or slider. By the second day, a consistent slot had emerged.
“He’s been throwing from one slot for so long that to find a spot that’s natural and a little lower, it takes feel,” Walker said.
Walker aided Owens during this transition period by taping 15 pitches of a bullpen session and taking still photos just so he could see what this new delivery looked like.
“I don’t know what he saw in the past, but I wanted to offer some video and give him the option of seeing it. He saw it and liked it,” Walker said.
Febles was a fan of what he saw upon checking out Owens’ bullpen session late last week.
“He’s a little disappointed about getting sent down. At the same time, he understands why the decision was made,” Febles said. “He’s got the right mindset and I can’t wait to see him pitch.”
Right now, the plan is to keep Owens on a starter’s course rather than shift him to the bullpen. You can understand why, and it has little to do with the Red Sox still viewing him as a viable depth option in the event there’s an opening in the rotation at the big-league level.
Right now, the gains of throwing roughly 100 pitches once every five days far outweigh a relieving role since fewer pitches are thrown, thus presenting fewer opportunities to test the delivery in a game setting.
“It’s all about reps at this point and continuing to trust the process,” Walker said.
In 2014, Owens appeared on the fast-track to becoming a key figure in Boston’s rotation plans. Three years later, he finds himself in Double-A and beginning anew. Starting Tuesday night, the road back to respectability – and McCoy Stadium – takes flight when Portland hosts New Hampshire.
“All of us love Henry. We still have high expectations of what he can do,” Walker said. “The thing is Henry still believes that too, and that’s a big thing. He’s still motivated and dedicated to becoming a successful major-league pitcher.
“I think he realizes it’s going to be a process that takes some time, but he’s ready to attack and challenge it,” Walker added. “Like anything, it’s about consistency and getting that body and arm to sync up. Hopefully this works out.”