Henry Jay Owens (born April 23, 1979 in Miami, Florida) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins. He bats and throws right-handed.
| Henry Owens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Florida Marlins – No. 77 | |
| Relief pitcher | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| July 7, 2006, for the New York Mets | |
| Career statistics (through 2008 season) | |
| Win-Loss | 2-0 |
| Earned run average | 3.00 |
| Strikeouts | 18 |
| Teams | |
Owens graduated from G. Holmes Braddock High School in Miami and attended Barry University. He played catcher as an amateur. He planned to attend medical school but scouts noticed his exceptional throwing skills and encouraged him to take up pitching.
Professional career
Owens was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an undrafted free agent in June 2001. In 2004, an elbow injury hampered his performance. As a result, the Pirates left him unprotected and he was selected by the New York Mets in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
In 2006, after four years in the Single-A leagues, Owens was promoted to the Double-A Binghamton Mets where he was outstanding as a closer. He compiled 51 strikeouts while allowing only eight hits in 25 innings pitched before his promotion to the major leagues.
He made his major league debut on July 7, 2006, for the New York Mets. He pitched a perfect ninth inning in a 7-3 Mets loss to the Florida Marlins.[1]
On November 20, 2006, the Mets traded Owens, along with Matt Lindstrom to the Florida Marlins for lefties Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick.[2]
2007 season
Owens started the season as a late-inning reliever, but was looked at as a closing option during spring training. Owens made it clear that he coveted the closer job very early on. After newly acquired reliever Jorge Julio proved to be ineffective as the club's closer, Owens became a candidate for the closer role.[3]
On May 11, Owens was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis.[4] Later in the season, Owens was shut down, and ultimately underwent shoulder surgery.
Suspension
On November 11, 2008, Major League Baseball suspended Owens for the first 50 games of the 2009 season following a positive test for performance-enhancing substances.[5]
References
- ^ Chris Girandola (July 7, 2006). "Lima roughed up by Willis, Marlins". MLB.com.
- ^ "Marlins acquire pitchers Matt Lindstrom, Henry Owens from Mets in exchange for pitchers Adam Bostick, Jason Vargas". MLB.com. November 11, 2006.
- ^ Joe Frisaro (April 14, 2007). "Julio placed on disabled list". MLB.com.
- ^ "Owens placed on disabled list. Owens was activated from the disabled list on June 1, 2007". MLB.com. May 11, 2006.
- ^ "Owens suspended 50 games by MLB: Marlins pitcher tests positive for performance-enhancing substance". MLB.com. November 11, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Winter Wonders by Chris Kline, Baseball America, January 5, 2005