Mets bring up Henry Owens - best pitcher you've never heard of
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by user Patrickburke1980
Henry Owens, the 27-year-old pitcher for the Mets AA Binghamton team was in the middle of a dominant season as the team's closer. In 23 appearances spanning 25 innings, Owens was 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA and 11 saves, having struck out 51 batters. He had allowed as many hits as walks all year (eight).
The amazing part of this story is that Owens is a converted catcher and has been pitching since only 2001. Owens graduated from Braddock Senior High School in Miami and attended Barry University. He played catcher as an amateur and intended on attending medical school rather than pursue a professional baseball career. But scouts noticed his exceptional throwing skills and encouraged him to take up pitching.
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.
Date
Fri 07/07/06, 6:01 am EST
