greg775 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Just wonder what you all think? Does Owens stink or is he just learning how to hit in the bigs? I have not been impressed with his slap hitting. Wouldn't Harris have been just as productive as this guy? Just wondering. Does Owens have a future? Or should he have remained in football? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Owens, and Andy Gonzalez for the matter, do stink... just my prerogative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord chas Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 when you cant hit the ball out of the infield you stink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 yes, yes he does. if you are a lead off hitter, you should be able to take a walk or as previously mentioned...hit the ball out of the infield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 He's never hit for much power or drawn many walks in the minors so his average might continue to come up but otherwise, what you see is what you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCangelosi Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(Jeremy @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 01:13 AM) He's never hit for much power or drawn many walks in the minors so his average might continue to come up but otherwise, what you see is what you get. There is no sane reason why Gonzalez, Terrero, or Owens is a major league ball player. This shows you how pathetic our farm system is. I don't think any of them have a job on virtually ANY other team in baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan77 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 I don't know.. I always like my lead-off hitters to have an ON Base under .300 don't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Why is Willie Harris even entering the conversation? He has been gone for 1 1/2 years now, Harris wasnt an option last year either. Â I think Owens has the capability of being a productive player, but he is going to have to put in some serious work to improve his hitting, start looking for pitches to drive and picking his spots to bunt. He is almost a gauranteed stolen base when he gets on, now its time to get him on a little more often. One thing i do like about him is that he does seem to have the ability to work the count full fairly often, he has had a few lengthy at bats that have made the pitchers work a little harder in the first inning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandy125 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Let me start up the Owens bandwagon. Y'all can jump on later. I think that he is starting to learn to hit and to play this game. He may be a bit older, but that does not mean he can't be productive as long as he still has that speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCangelosi Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(vandy125 @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 08:59 AM) Let me start up the Owens bandwagon. Y'all can jump on later. I think that he is starting to learn to hit and to play this game. He may be a bit older, but that does not mean he can't be productive as long as he still has that speed. I think Owens is a 4th OF at best- yes, he does have great speed and is fun to watch on the base paths but I don't see him solving the problem of getting the bat taken out of his hands consistently anytime soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29andPoplar Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Owens shows ability in some areas but there's a problem, can anyone envision Jerry Owens being a starter on a contending team. Just my opinion but I don't see it. Ok, how about a 4th OF, well, he is decent defensively but not great from what I've seen and his arm is a problem. He cannot play RF so it's an awkward fit if in fact they will try to win in 2008. Â Then again it all depends how the roster is constructed. As stated he does show some real ability in certain areas of the game. He can definitely swipe a bag and he is starting to show he can work the count, which I like. However a good moving fastball on the inner half still seems to overmatch him. Â At this point you let him play every day and see what you've got. You know what you have in Terrero, here is a guy who had a great chance to show all of baseball he can be a solid major leaguer and now he's glued to the bench because of the same old problems (poor at bats, little plate discipline). Even Andy Gonzalez shows better plate discipline than Terrero, which is a shame because Terrero can go get 'em on defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(JohnCangelosi @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 01:48 AM) QUOTE(Jeremy @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 01:13 AM) He's never hit for much power or drawn many walks in the minors so his average might continue to come up but otherwise, what you see is what you get. There is no sane reason why Gonzalez, Terrero, or Owens is a major league ball player. This shows you how pathetic our farm system is. I don't think any of them have a job on virtually ANY other team in baseball. I think Terrero is a good 4th OF and bench player. He can be a defensive replacement late in games, pinch run, and provide a little pop from the rightside. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29andPoplar Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 (edited) I think Terrero is a good 4th OF and bench player. He can be a defensive replacement late in games, pinch run, and provide a little pop from the rightside. Â Yes and that is why they picked him up, however at this point he is still frustrating the staff with the same old problems as mentioned above. It is my sense they are more interested in seeing what Owens can do with a legit shot the remainder of this disaster of a year vs. Terrero. However the picture may well change by next Tuesday. Â One thing to remember is these speedy guys are in demand all across MLB. If the Sox don't feel Owens is in their long term plans it's very possible he gets traded if the Sox have targeted something from another org. and can get it done. I have nothing against Owens, just pointing out a possibility. Edited July 23, 2007 by 29andPoplar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 we should send Owens to ATL so we can watch him go 10-10 with 10 rbi and bat something like 350 for a whole season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaseballNick Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(greg775 @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 01:00 AM) Just wonder what you all think? Does Owens stink or is he just learning how to hit in the bigs? I have not been impressed with his slap hitting. Wouldn't Harris have been just as productive as this guy? Just wondering. Does Owens have a future? Or should he have remained in football? Â Â If you need to ask whether or not he's any good, then I think you already know the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(BaseballNick @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 08:44 AM) If you need to ask whether or not he's any good, then I think you already know the answer. Seriously, folks, he's a rookie. He barely has any at bats in the major leagues, and overall, there are high school kids who have probably played more baseball than he has. Â He may well stink. Or he may well turn into something useful. Long term, I don't have a clue. His numbers in the minors do give reason for hope, but you never know how that'll translate to the big leagues. So, we may as well give him the chance to learn the league, because if he could turn into a decent leadoff hitter, which I don't think anyone here can possibly rule completely out, then he solves an awful lot of the Sox's problems for the next 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(Jeremy @ Jul 22, 2007 -> 11:13 PM) He's never hit for much power or drawn many walks in the minors so his average might continue to come up but otherwise, what you see is what you get. His last 3 seasons in the minors, he has put up walk rates that are almost exactly what Podsednik has put up in the big leagues, and Pods has always struck me as a fairly patient leadoff hitter (which was one of his actual strengths). And Owens did that with fewer k's than Pods, but of course, against less talented competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elrockinMT Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 A lead off hitter needs to get on base. An OBP less than .300 is not good. But, Owens does bring speed when he gets on, which IMO measn he is a good 4th or 5th OF'er at this point, but not the starting CF'er. (except on this team that is) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 08:53 AM) A lead off hitter needs to get on base. An OBP less than .300 is not good. But, Owens does bring speed when he gets on, which IMO measn he is a good 4th or 5th OF'er at this point, but not the starting CF'er. (except on this team that is) His OBP is low because he's hitting .230 or so. He has not yet shown that he can consistently hit big league pitching over the long term, which is suppressing his overall numbers. But, if you'll permit me the "small sample size" issue, in July, Owens is hitting .296 with a .356 OBP. During his first callup his OBP was a whopping .214, which is why his numbers for this season look so bad. But, again, he's still a rookie, and it's actually possible that he might have learned something this season, which would be a very good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heirdog Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Wasn't Pods a rookie at like age 28 or 29 so consider Owens ahead of the curve. If you're looking for Ichiro, you will be disappointed. If you're looking for a younger Pods, you might have something here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon_44 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 I think he looks comfortable out there and doesn't have the deer in headlights look alot of rookies have. He has a chance to be a productive player and he has looked much better the 2nd time around. I would have to assume he'll continue to improve the more relaxed he becomes. As for not being able to hit it out of the infield, Juan Pierre has made a decent career out of not being able to hit it out of the infield. Owens also seems to be pretty confident, which is a big part of the battle. If Brian Anderson had Owens assuredness then he'd still be manning CF for the Sox. Anderson seemed to be more cocky than confident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalapse Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Podsednik (no matter what age) had infinitely more pop than Owens. Get back to me when Jerry shows the ability to drive the ball into either gap and hit one out every once and a while. Until he gets a whole lot stronger it's going to be tough for him to top even a .650 OPS over an entire season's worth of ABs and I can't see him ever reaching .700. I personally want nothing to do with a player like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaseballNick Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 10:49 AM) Seriously, folks, he's a rookie. He barely has any at bats in the major leagues, and overall, there are high school kids who have probably played more baseball than he has. He may well stink. Or he may well turn into something useful. Long term, I don't have a clue. His numbers in the minors do give reason for hope, but you never know how that'll translate to the big leagues. So, we may as well give him the chance to learn the league, because if he could turn into a decent leadoff hitter, which I don't think anyone here can possibly rule completely out, then he solves an awful lot of the Sox's problems for the next 5 years.   I understand that he's a rookie and it takes time to adjust against this level of competiton, but let's face it - it's not likely that he's going to develop into a difference making player. He's got speed but he is a below average defender with a weak arm, and he's not much of a hitter. That being said, I'm rooting for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 10:49 AM) Seriously, folks, he's a rookie. He barely has any at bats in the major leagues, and overall, there are high school kids who have probably played more baseball than he has. He may well stink. Or he may well turn into something useful. Long term, I don't have a clue. His numbers in the minors do give reason for hope, but you never know how that'll translate to the big leagues. So, we may as well give him the chance to learn the league, because if he could turn into a decent leadoff hitter, which I don't think anyone here can possibly rule completely out, then he solves an awful lot of the Sox's problems for the next 5 years.  The problem is that he'll be 27 next season.  QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2007 -> 10:52 AM) His last 3 seasons in the minors, he has put up walk rates that are almost exactly what Podsednik has put up in the big leagues, and Pods has always struck me as a fairly patient leadoff hitter (which was one of his actual strengths). And Owens did that with fewer k's than Pods, but of course, against less talented competition.  The walk rate is by no means terrible. It's just that if you don't hit for power, pitchers usually challenge you more at the major league level so your walk rate drops. Pods walk rate didn't drop much when he graduated to the majors but he's just one player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Owens has hit safely in 12 consecutive starts and is batting .301 (19-for-63) since being recalled July 3 from Charlotte  July numbers:  .299 .356 7-10 sb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.