Finally, The 2014 Season: Henry Owens, The Lanky Little League Bully

Henry Owens throws 94 and has eyes that will haunt your nightmares

When I was a scrappy, glove-first, extremely overweight 10 year old making my way up the ranks of the Hopedale Youth Baseball Senior League, there was an extremely tall, extremely lanky 12 year old pitcher who was terrifying to bat against. How tall was he? Honestly, by conservative estimates, he was probably 8’3’’. He did not throw hard, but the ball would be released about two feet--again, conservative estimate-- from the batter’s box. Adding to the horrifying spectacle was the recycled white uniform pants from the 1980's, which already started above his ankles and rode up to his knee in his kick. Coaches and parents claim he was 12, but he was obviously in his mid-20's. 

Whenever my team, Hopedale Country Club, faced him I hid myself in the back corner of the batter's box. I got in my three swings and was relieved I was not killed in the process. Though we never spoke on the field or , I could only assume his lankiness and heightness made him a bully. 

While Hopedale Youth Baseball's Senior League is without question the height of baseball competition in the 01747 zip code, I am excited about the possibility of seeing a lanky bully perform on the slightly larger stage of Fenway Park. In 2014, this should come in the person of Sox super-prospect Henry Owens, who is 6’6’’ and only 205 lbs. That is pretty damn lank. 

Owens turns 22 in late July, and there is a good chance the left-hander will be in the Sox bullpen by his birthday. At the very least, the native of Huntington Beach, CA projects to be part of the Sox rotation by the time he turns 23 in 2015. They are simply the next steps in what has been a rapid and exciting ascension through the Sox's system.

In 2013, Owens, the Sox’s first round pick in 2011, dominated the minor leagues. In a season split between the Salem Red Sox of the High A Carolina League and the Double A Portland Sea Dogs, Owens compiled some remarkable overall numbers:

11-6, 2.67 ERA, 135 IP, 169 K’s, 11.3 SO/9, 1.126 WHIP

It was when he made that jump to Double A in early August, though, that he really got people excited for 2014. During the season's final month in Portland, Owens posted the following numbers: 

3-1, 1.78 ERA, 30.1 IP, 46 K’s, 13.6 SO/9, 1.088 WHIP

You really want to see this coming at you from eight inches above you, Brett Gardner?

Heading into 2014, Baseball Prospectus ranks Owens as the fifth best prospect in the Sox system and the 69^th best overall in baseball. With a fastball that regularly hits 94, Baseball Prospectus project him as a number three starter for the next decade, and compare him strongly and favorably to Angels starter C.J. Wilson.  

Now, I understand that "the next C.J. Wilson” does not jump off the page, but it's a comparison that should excite Sox fans.  While Wilson was not a starter until his age 28 season, in his four seasons since moving from the bullpen he has posted a 3.37 ERA and a 122 ERA+, while averaging 34 starts, 15 wins, 210 innings pitched, and 184 strikeouts. Even if those numbers are Owens’s ceiling, he will slot well in to the Sox rotation for 2015 and several seasons beyond.

Besides, I have no Henry’s in my life. Hell, with Breaking Bad over and Rookie of the Year showings becoming increasingly sporadic on cable, I don’t even have a Hank in my life. And shouldn’t we all have a Henry or Hank in our lives? You could be the one, Owens, so don’t be a bust, you big, lanky bully. 

Yeah, we can laugh now, Owens, but guys like you made the spring of 1995 miserable for this chunky first baseman.