Henry Owens

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #2 prospect in 2015
  Owens built on a dominant 2013 season by opening 2014 with a rainshortened, six-inning, nine-strikeout no-hitter for Portland. He earned the nod as the starter for the U.S. team in the Futures Game. Owens is comfortable working at 89-92 mph (though he'll touch 94) thanks to an excellent changeup that he sells to great effect. He emphasized his curveball this year, a point he hammered home by opening the Futures Game with a hook. He also shows an advanced feel for pitching that exceeds his age, including the ability to read swings and adapt. With ongoing strength gains, Owens continues to make strides in locking in his delivery, contributing to a decrease in his walk rate that was accompanied by working more consistently down in the zone for quick outs. He'll need to develop the curveball further and may ultimately incorporate a slider or cutter. Owens' combination of stuff, makeup and feel for pitching makes him a safe bet for the big league rotation. Most believe he has a mid-rotation ceiling (some see a chance for a No. 2 starter), with a reasonable probability of getting there or close to that point, despite less-than-eyepopping velocity.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #2 prospect in 2014
  Owens backed up a 2012 season when he had one of the top strikeout rates in the minors with an even better year in 2013. He topped all minor league ERA qualifiers in opponent average (.177), ranked second in strikeouts (169) and dropped his ERA from 4.87 in 2012 to 2.67. At one point, he had a streak of 19 1/3 straight no-hit innings at Salem. Owens has added roughly 25 pounds of muscle since signing, resulting in better velocity and an increased ability to repeat his delivery. He works mostly at 88-92 mph, but has touched 95, and hitters struggle to pick up the ball out of his hand, resulting in swings and misses on his fastball and excellent changeup. His curveball has been on and off, but when it's effective, he dominates. Owens also shows an advanced feel for pitching. The Red Sox believe his command and control will improve, but his walk rate was 4.5 per nine innings and got worse over the course of the season. Owens should be at least a No. 4 starter with the upside of a very good No. 3 or perhaps a No. 2. He'll open 2014 in Double-A.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #5 prospect in 2013
  Yet another member of what is shaping up as a strong 2011 draft class for the Red Sox, Owens went 36th overall and signed for $1.55 million. Though kept on a short leash in his 2012 pro debut, Owens led the system with 12 wins and ranked second with 130 strikeouts. Owens is a rare lefthander who can get swings and misses with three different pitches. His fastball has mostly average velocity and life, ranging from 88-94 mph, but plays up because his tall body and long limbs give him deceptive angle and plane. He has advanced feel for his plus changeup and an average breaking ball. He varies his breaker, using a loopy 67-72 mph curveball early in counts for strikes and a 78-81 mph slurve to put hitters away. While Owens' lanky frame gives him plenty of room to add strength, he won't require more power to succeed. His control is better than his average of 4.2 walks per nine innings would indicate, but his command needs refinement. He's athletic and repeats his delivery well. Owens is further away than Matt Barnes or Allen Webster but may have more upside. He'll head to high Class A in 2013 and should advance quickly as soon as he starts to locate his pitches with more precision.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #18 prospect in 2012
  In an unusually down year for high school talent in Southern California, Owens was the lone prep pitcher who drew first-round consideration. The Red Sox got him near the top of the sandwich round with pick No. 36 and signed him at the deadline for $1.55 million. Owens has solid stuff for a lefty and the room to add plenty of strength to his skinny frame, but he stands out the most with his feel for pitching. He usually throws 88-91 mph on cruise control, showing the ability to get 92-93 mph whenever he needs it and maxing out at 94. Owens can spin a curveball, throwing a 75-76 mph breaker with depth and also flipping up a loopier high-60s bender to keep hitters off balance. He can throw the curve for strikes in any count. His changeup has some promise, and he also has messed around with a slider and cutter. Some area scouts were disappointed Owens didn't add more velocity in high school and questioned his projection, but Boston is thrilled to have him. Because he didn't pitch after signing late, he'll likely make his pro debut at Lowell in June. If everything comes together, he could develop into a No. 3 starter.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #8 prospect in 2015
  Owens has carried a similar profile throughout his steady, level-by-level rise through the minors: outstanding stuff that can be hindered by inconsistent mechanics and command. That trend continued in 2015 when Owens tossed 122 innings at Pawtucket before advancing to Boston in late July. Owens mixes a big-breaking, 12-to-6 curveball and an above-average changeup to go with an 88-92 mph fastball that, when he's at his best, he locates on the inner-half of the plate against righthanded batters. Hitting that spot with his fastball is key to his success--it sets up his changeup and prevents hitters from leaning over the plate for his breaking pitches. He brought a slider back to his repertoire, steadily throwing more of it as a back-door complement to his curveball. Owens is a hard-worker, but he's lanky with long limbs, so repeating his delivery is a challenge.
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  Ranked Eastern League #6 prospect in 2014
  Owens entered the year ranked as the best pitching prospect in the Red Sox system, and he wasted no time showing why in 2014. He spun a rain-shortened no-hitter on opening night at Reading, stymying the Fightin Phils for six innings before nature intervened. He only got better from there. Armed with a delivery that features lots of arms, legs and deception, Owens combatted hitters with a three-pitch mix of a low-90s fastball, a big, 11-5 curveball and a devastating changeup that ranked among the best in the league. In fact, EL managers and coaches voted his curveball and changeup the best in the league, while also giving him the nod as best pitching prospect on the circuit. About the only knock on Owens this year, and throughout his career, was command. One particular bugaboo was missing up in the zone with his fastball. He averaged more than four walks per nine innings at every stop in his career up until this season, when he lowered it to 3.5 in 20 starts with Portland before getting bumped to Triple-A Pawtucket.
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  Ranked Carolina League #4 prospect in 2013
  Owens saved his best for last with Salem, tossing 11 hitless innings over two starts against Frederick and Potomac in late July before moving up to Double-A. He topped the CL in strikeouts (123) at the time of his promotion and finished just 16 behind eventual leader Alec Asher of Myrtle Beach. The long and lanky Owens comes after hitters with a 90-94 mph fastball that plays up because of his long stride and over-the-top delivery. When he isn?t striking out hitters with his fastball he?s using it to induce grounders because of the downward plane of the pitch. One reason for his late-season surge was the further development of his changeup, that at its best is delivered with quality arm speed and fades away from righthanders. Owens could be vulnerable to lefthanders?who hit .221 against him, compared to .166 for righties?because he was reluctant to throw his change to them, allowing lefties to lay off his inconsistent breaking ball and sit on the fastball. One National League evaluator viewed this as a positive. ?He will eventually make the adjustment,? he said, ?and he has been pretty successful without making the adjustment. (Imagine) how much better he will be if and when he does.?

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #44 prospect in 2015
• Ranked Baseball America's #40 prospect in 2014
• Ranked Baseball America's #91 prospect in 2013

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Yet another member of what is shaping up as a strong 2011 draft class for the Red Sox, Owens went 36th overall and signed for $1.55 million. Though kept on a short leash in his 2012 pro debut, Owens led the system with 12 wins and ranked second with 130 strikeouts. Scouting Report: Owens is a rare lefthander who can get swings and misses with three different pitches. His fastball has mostly average velocity and life, ranging from 88-94 mph, but plays up because his tall body and long limbs give him deceptive angle and plane. He has advanced feel for his plus changeup and an average breaking ball. He varies his breaker, using a loopy 67-72 mph curveball early in counts for strikes and a 78-81 mph slurve to put hitters away. While Owens' lanky frame gives him plenty of room to add strength, he won't require more power to succeed. His control is better than his average of 4.2 walks per nine innings would indicate, but his command needs refinement. He's athletic and repeats his delivery well. The Future: Owens is further away than Matt Barnes or Allen Webster but may have more upside. He'll head to high Class A in 2013 and should advance quickly as soon as he starts to locate his pitches with more precision.