August 16, 2011 at 12:13 AM
Report: Red Sox sign supplemental first-round selection Henry Owens
According to WEEI.com's Alex Speier, the Red Sox have signed supplemental first round selection Henry Owens for $1.55 million.
Owens, 18, is a 6-6, 195-pound southpaw who went 12-1 with 140 strikeouts in 91.2 innings this season for Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California. He features a low 90's fastball, a slider and a change, as well as two different styles of curveball. Owens has good poise on the mound and solid command, tools that made him one of the most coveted left-handers in the draft, drawing comparisons to some of the elite left-handed hurlers in the game. His frame has room for growth and he figures to add more size as he gets embarks upon a professional regimen. Baseball America ranked Owens the 33rd best prospect leading up the the 2011 draft. By signing with the Red Sox, Owens may now get the opportunity to reunite with Blake Swihart, whom he played with on the U-18 USA National Baseball team.
Owens is said to have a humble and laid back personality despite being a fierce competitor on the mound. Owens, who passed on a commitment to the University of Miami, is the highest drafted left-handed pitcher by Boston since Jon Lester was taken in the second round of the 2002 draft.