Mariners Sign Jerry Owens

AAA filler.

Freddy Guzman has been awful in Tacoma. There's a good chance the Rainiers send him packing after this move.

Didn't Owens once say that if he played a full season, he would steal 60 bases? He did know that he had to get on base first ...right?

Its like I said in the other thread. Its too bad he couldnt hit because if he could, he would be valuable.

John MacDonald breaks my heart because if he could even put up .275 with 10 homeruns and 50 RBI's at the bottom of the order combined with his unreal defense, he would be one of the best in the business. Brett Gardner is the same way.

However, being that someone snapped up Jerry Owens that quickly, it says something for his stock. The Mariners are rebuilding and theyre not doing an awful job so Owens must have something they like.

@xethicx

Zduriencik has shown a tendency to pick up speedy defensive centerfield types on the cheap so far in his time as GM. He signed 3 of them out of the gate this offseason. Mel Stocker, Freddy Guzman and one other guy (can't think of his name right now). All guys who have no power, are really fast and play good defense. Owens makes four.

Since Guzman has been pretty bad in AAA, I am thinking he sees Owens as his AAA replacement.

"Its like I said in the other thread. Its too bad he couldnt hit because if he could, he would be valuable."

That's like saying, "If he had legs, he would be good at walking."

The ability to hit is probably the most important ability that a position player needs to have, and without the ability to make hard contact and consistently get on base, you shouldn't be playing professional baseball.

Owens has long been a very fast athlete attempting to be a ballplayer, and it's really never quite worked out.

He's fast, but he doesn't get on base nearly enough to make that speed have any value.

He doesn't take advantage of his speed in center field the way he should, like say Carlos Gomez, because he makes poor reads on well hit balls and his routes are quite poor. And that doesn't even mention that his arm is also below average.

"His ceiling would have been a Juan Pierre type player, but he just can't get any hits."

Exactly.

Pierre isn't a very good player, and that's essentially Owens' absolute upside.

Owens is like Juan Pierre but an all-around worse player.

Jerry Owens shouldn't come close to a MLB stadium as a player.

Lets not forget that he posted a .267 average in 2007 with 32 SB. Michael Bourn hit .229 last year.....
Willy Taveras is a .283 career hitter.
Theres room for owens on a major league roster. Someones gonna give him a shot to play.