Left-handed pitching prospect Rudy Owens was expected by many to reach the majors towards the end of the 2011 season. But unfortunately things didn’t work out that way.
Owens, who was ranked as the Pirates No. 7 prospect by Baseball America prior to the season, struggled in his first year with Triple-A Indianapolis.
The 23-year-old lefty went 9-7 with a 5.05 ERA in 21 starts (112.1 innings). Coming off a solid campaign with Double-A Altoona last season where he posted a 12-6 record with a 2.46 ERA, Owens has learned a lot through the struggles.
“I think it was good for me,“ Owens said. “I had some ups and downs, kind of gave me something to work off of for next year, kind of work through the failure of what I had for last year, bounce back and get back on my feet.”
“It was a learning experience, really. Just going through, just seeing what I had to do to succeed. I had some failures and I had to work through it, had to make the adjustment and keep on going.”
Owens lasted just 2.2 innings and was tagged for five runs on eight hits in his final start this season on August 5th before landing on the disabled list with arm fatigue.
Owens has been pitching in the Instructional League in Bradenton Fla., where he’s getting back on track and healthy.
“My arm is feeling good, it’s getting back into shape,“ Owens said. “That’s kind of what I’m here for, to get going again and get ready to go for next season. The arm feels good, it’s almost 100 percent so I’m happy about that.”
After instructs, Owens will travel to the Dominican to play winter ball until December. There he will be able to get in more innings and get the opportunity to face some good talent.
“I’m really excited about that,“ he said. “It’s going to be a great experience for me and it’s going to be good baseball. After that, I’m going to go home and hang out with family for two months, so I’m happy.”
Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports
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