FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell stood side-by-side Monday on Field 6 at JetBlue Park.
At around noon, they received a glimpse of the future.
Henry Owens threw his first live batting practice of spring training. The left-hander faced Ryan Hanigan and Humberto Quintero in a session that only added to Farrell’s positive impressions of the pitcher.
“Strikes. You see swing and miss to his changeup when hitters even know it’s coming,” Farrell said. “The impressions have all been positive, but you temper it with, let’s get into games and see it play out there.”
*The video above was shot from right next to both Farrell and Cherington. So yes, it’s essentially the vantage point they had for Monday’s live BP.
Owens is one of several pitchers vying for the role of Boston’s “sixth starter.” The 22-year-old is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, but he’s on the cusp of earning his first major league call-up. A solid spring could persuade Boston to view him as the “next man up” should something unforeseen happen to the Red Sox’s rotation early in the season.
Owens enters 2015 on the heels of another impressive minor league campaign. He went 14-4 with a 2.60 ERA in 20 starts with Double-A Portland before finishing the season with Pawtucket. Owens went 3-1 with a 4.03 ERA in six starts during his first taste of Triple-A.
It’s difficult to project Owens’ ceiling — some suggest he has middle-of-the-rotation upside — because his repertoire is so unique. The lanky lefty doesn’t blow hitters away, yet his command and his secondary stuff give him excellent strikeout capability.
“A lot of deception in his delivery, so whatever the velocity is, it plays up because of the reaction time for a given hitter,” Farrell said. “There’s three pitches he throws for strikes. He doesn’t pitch to the edge of the plate. He’s confident in his abilities.”
Owens is considered the Red Sox’s No. 2 prospect behind catcher Blake Swihart, who has worked extensively with the pitcher since the two entered the organization 10 picks apart in the 2011 draft. Swihart (selected 26th overall) can’t help but be impressed by the maturity shown by Owens (selected 36th overall) whenever he toes the rubber. The talented southpaw simply pitches to his strengths.
“He’s so controlled that he knows his limits,” Swihart told NESN.com on Monday. “He’s best when he’s throwing 91, 92 and hitting his spots, and then throwing his changeup off of that. He’s not scared to throw any pitch, so he goes out there with the confidence that every pitch is his best pitch.”
Baseball America annually releases a “Best Tools” list, which ranks the top minor leaguers in several categories based on physical attributes. Double-A managers in 2014 voted Owens as having the “Best Changeup” and the “Best Breaking Pitch.” Owens also was pegged the Eastern League’s “Best Pitching Prospect.”
Owens’ arsenal has been as effective as it is unique, and the future certainly looks bright for the 6-foot-6 former first-round pick. One live BP session hardly tells the story, but Owens’ changeup can be downright filthy, regardless of when it’s thrown.
“It’s great. The numbers don’t lie,” Swihart said. “He goes out there and gets the job done. That’s his go-to pitch. He throws that more than his curveball obviously, but he keeps hitters off-balance. If a pitcher has a (good) changeup, that’s a good weapon.”
Owens has the potential to be a good weapon for the Red Sox, perhaps sooner rather than later. Monday offered yet another reason for optimism.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
