Hunter Owen Awarded With Invite to Crowded Infield in Spring Training
The Pittsburgh Pirates infield group just got a little bit bigger as another infielder has been invited to Big League Spring Training. After it was announced the Pirates had come to terms on a Minor League deal with Todd Frazier, the team announced on Sunday that they have invited IF/OF Hunter Owen to Spring Training. Owen has spent the last five seasons in the Pirates organization and has developed into a power-hitting threat after posting double-digit home runs in each of the last three Minor League seasons. He spent last season at the Pirates Alternate Training site and is primed to make his Big League debut at some point in 2021. Owen has appeared in each of the last three Spring Training with the Pirates but is joining the Big League group for the first time in his career.
Before Minor League Baseball was shut down in 2020, Owen split the 2019 season between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He combined to hit .261 with 19 home runs and 53 RBI in 110 games played. 15 of those home runs came at Double-A Altoona, where he led the team in that category, while also leading the team in RBI. It was also the third straight Big League season in which Owen hit double-digit home runs, as he has been developing into more of a power hitter throughout his career. At 27-years-old, Owen is running out of time in terms of being a formidable prospect, and 2021 has got to be his breakout year. We break down Owen's career thus far and see what he brings to the Pirates Big League camp.
25th Round to Major Leagues
When most people think of a 25th round draft pick, not much excitement comes to mind. Many prospects picked in the later rounds of the draft will never transpire into anything special and a lot drop out before reaching Double-A. However, Hunter Owen is trying to defy those odds and make the Major Leagues despite coming out of the 25th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He was a standout contact hitter at Indiana State, hitting over .340 in both his sophomore and junior seasons, but didn't show much power. However, when he initially made the transition to professional ball, that batting average didn't follow. He hit just .246 in his year and a half in Short-Season ball, but the Pirates saw potential.
The confidence proved to be warranted, as Owen showed an ability to hit for power. During that first year in Low-A West Virginia, Owen dominated the South Atlantic League hitting .292 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI. He shattered his career records in almost every offensive category and brought a combination of contact and power that the team needed. He, unfortunately, was not recognized for his breakout season, but it would start a trend that has fast-tracked his way through the organization. Over the next three seasons, he hit double-digit home runs in every season while keeping his batting average over the .260 mark.
He advanced to Double-A Altoona for the first time in his career to start 2019 and earned the job as the starting third baseman. He put together the best season of his career so far, hitting .295 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI over 68 games played. He was the leading run producer for the Curve and started his season strong with an Eastern League Player of the Week Award for the final week of April. Owen led the Curve in home runs and RBI and earned a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 20th, 2019. As Owen was getting settled in, he had an abrupt halt to the season. He got hit in the left hand and ended up heading to the Disabled List with a left-hand contusion. This time off threw off his rhythm as he ended the year hitting just .192 with four home runs and nine RBI to end the year. After working at the alternate training site last season, Owen is looking to get back on track for the 2021 season.
Power Drives Progress
For Hunter Owen, the thing that will most likely get him noticed is his ability to hit the ball over the wall. Over the last three seasons, he has exponentially risen his home run totals, hitting 11 in 2017, 18 in 2018, and 19 in 2019. If he can continue that upward trend in 2021, Owen could force the Pirate's hand and promote him to the Major Leagues. His run production may be his biggest asset, but his best way to get to the Major Leagues may be his versatility. Throughout his Minor League career, Owen has played every position on the field except for center field and pitcher and has had success at a lot of them. Couple that with his ability to hit the ball over the wall, and he could find himself in the Major Leagues sooner rather than later.
The one thing that plagues Owen, like many power hitters around the league, is his high strikeout rate. In 406 at-bats last season, Owen struck out 29.5% of the time and was only able to generate a total of 27 walks on the season. As he gets to the highest level of Minor League Baseball, these high strikeout numbers are going to begin to take their toll on the 27-year-old. This is something we have seen in his limited time in Big League Spring Training as a call-up. He had had 14 Spring Training at-bats over the last three seasons and has struck out seven times. He only has one hit to show for his efforts, a single back in 2017, and he is looking to build better plate discipline now that he is with the Big League club.
As for his role in Spring Training this season, Owen is in Big League camp simply to be evaluated by the coaching staff. He is highly unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, and will instead most likely start the year as the Indianapolis Indians starting third baseman. However, look for him to see time at other positions as well, opening an opportunity at the Big League level. Owen can play anywhere from infield to outfield and even a short stint behind the plate. With the Pirates infield still featuring a lot of questions, Owen should get time at all of them to make himself more marketable. Look for him to do the same in Spring Training with the Pirates this year as he gets set to get going again at the Triple-A level.
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