Boston Red Sox Pitching Prospects May Finally Contribute

Henry Owens and Brian Johnson were once seen as potential key members of the Boston Red Sox starting rotation, but both players have seen their stock slip in the past two seasons.

Long before the additions of Rick Porcello, David Price and now Chris Sale, the Boston Red Sox were planning on developing young starters to lead the rotation in the future. Left-handers Henry Owens and Brian Johnson were vital assets in the 2014 season, and were projected to make their big league debuts in 2016.

Despite their youth, Owens and Johnson both took Boston’s farm system by storm. After a dominant stint in Double-A in 2013, Owens outperformed expectations in 2014 by posting a 2.60 ERA with 9.37 K/9 in 121 innings.

Owens looked just as solid upon being promoted to Triple-A later that season, and it seemed as if the Red Sox would have to give him a chance in 2016. But for all that was discussed about his dominant strikeout ability, Owens lacked control and struggled with walks at every level of the minors.

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Johnson’s career trajectory was strikingly similar. In 2014, the lefty posted a 1.75 ERA with 7.55 K/9 and just 2.44 BB/9 in 118 innings at Double-A. In the first half of 2015, Johnson looked the part of a potential number two starter in the big leagues.

After a year and a half of mediocre play out of the entire roster, the Red Sox turned to both Owens and Johnson in mid-2015 in hopes of sparking the team’s lackluster rotation. Johnson made his major league debut in late July 2015, while Owens received the call just two weeks later.

While Owens stuck around for the rest of 2015, Johnson missed the rest of the season with elbow irritation. In 2016, Johnson returned healthy but lost some of the loose action in his arm that made him effective in the minors. The now 26-year-old posted a 4.09 ERA and 4.73 FIP in 77 Triple-A innings, while at times looking lost in his ability to limit base runners.

Owens, who posted a 4.57 ERA with 3.43 BB/9 in 11 major league starts, made his 2016 debut in Triple-A with the hope that he could finally establish his command. That never happened, as Owens continued to struggle with walks and looked lost in limited major league action.

Johnson, who continued to deal with elbow issues, didn’t make an appearance with Boston in 2016. But an encouraging run toward the end of the season helped Johnson clear his head and regain his focus. Per Tim Britton of Metro West Daily News, Johnson said he’s no longer trying to do too much on the mound.

"“You can really just drive yourself crazy because you’re trying to be perfect, and that’s what I was running into. If I didn’t go nine innings and a complete game, that wasn’t good enough in my mind. I was trying to do too much,” Johnson said. “After taking that time off, coming back and having success makes me even more confident going into this year.”"

The emergence of Eduardo Rodriguez, who was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in 2014, pushed Owens and Johnson down on the Sox depth chart. But lingering knee issues forced Rodriguez to miss time last season, and ultimately could cost him time going forward. The same can be said for Steven Wright, who was Boston’s best pitcher in the first half of last season before tapering off toward the stretch run. And with Clay Buchholz traded away and Drew Pomeranz an uncertainty, Owens and Johnson each seem to have one more chance to break in with the Sox.

Still just 24, Owens can seemingly spend another season in the minors – but with first-round pick Jason Groome poised to develop quickly, Owens’ window of opportunity may be closing quickly.

Next: David Price Set for Bounceback Season

The chance remains for Owens and Johnson to convert into relievers, but one last chance at cracking the rotation remains.

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