- Spike Owen
Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#EE1422
bgcolor2=#083884
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Spike Owen
position=Shortstop
bats=Both
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1961|4|19
debutdate=June 25
debutyear=by|1983
debutteam=Seattle Mariners
finaldate=October 2
finalyear=by|1995
finalteam=California Angels
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.246
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=1,211
stat3label=Runs
stat3value=587
teams=
*Seattle Mariners (by|1983-by|1986)
*Boston Red Sox (by|1986-by|1988)
*Montreal Expos (by|1989-by|1992)
*New York Yankees (by|1993)
*California Angels (by|1994-by|1995)
highlights=
*American League pennant: 1986Spike Dee Owen (born
April 19 ,1961 inCleburne, Texas ) is a formershortstop inMajor League Baseball who played for theSeattle Mariners (1983-86),Boston Red Sox (1986-88),Montreal Expos (1989-92),New York Yankees (1993) and California Angels (1994-95). He made his Major League debut onJune 25 ,1983 .In a 13-season career, Owen compiled a .246
batting average with 46home run s and 439 RBI in 1544 games.A
switch-hitter , he was a much better from the right side. He was fairly slow for a middle infielder, especially one known for defense. Nevertheless, he was an intelligent and aggressive runner. At shortstop, Owen had sure hands, a quick release, and he knew what to do with the ball.Career
Player
Owen attended The University of Texas at Austin and was the All-Tournament Team shortstop in the
1982 College World Series . Drafted by theSeattle Mariners in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1982 amateur draft. OnJune 25 ,1983 Owen went 1 for 4 against theToronto Blue Jays in his major league debut in with the Mariners. His first hit came off PJim Gott . OnJuly 13 ,1983 , Owen hit his first big leagueHR against Red Sox PDoug Bird atFenway Park .In 1986, he was named team captain of the Mariners. On
August 19 Owen and CFDave Henderson were traded to theBoston Red Sox forRey Quinones and cash. In his third game with the Red Sox, he tied a major league record with six runs scored in a game. In the1986 American League Championship Series , Owen hit .429 as the Red Sox defeated the California Angels 4 games to 3. In the1986 World Series he hit .300, as the Red Sox lost to theNew York Mets 4 games to 3.On
December 8 ,1988 , Owen was traded by theRed Sox to theMontreal Expos for PJohn Dopson and SSLuis Rivera .In 1990, Owen set a
National League record with 63 consecutive errorless games at shortstop. Despite his .234 average, he showed some decent power, working in 24 doubles, five triples and five home runs among his 106 hits. The secret to his success was his patience at the plate. Owen drew 70 walks (12 intentional), giving him a respectable .333on base percentage --the walks are an important element for an eight-place hitter in the NL since they bring thepitcher to the plate and allow the offense to start the next inning at the top of the order.Owen's most productive season came in 1992, when he posted career highs in average (.269), home runs (7),
stolen base s (7) andslugging percentage (.381). In addition, he sported a healthy .348on base percentage and performed well in the clutch, batting .319 in 91 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Owen also led the NL infielding percentage twice. A hard-nosed competitor, he quickly established himself as a leader in the Expos clubhouse and helped rookieDelino DeShields to his transition tosecond base .After the 1992 season, Owen was pushed out of Montreal by the emergence ofWil Cordero .On
December 4 ,1992 Owen signed a three-year contract with theNew York Yankees . Owen had the idea that he would anchor the Yankee infield and provide leadership, but in1993 he led a horde of middle infielders in one only category: salary. At the end of the season, Owen was traded to the California Angels for a minor league player.In 1994, Owen hit a career high .310 in 82 games for the Angels, basically as an infield backup and eventually as a DH.
In 1996, Owen joined the Texas Rangers' Triple A affiliate, the
Oklahoma City 89ers . In April, Owen announced his retirement.Coach
From 2002 to 2006, Owen was the bench coach of the
Round Rock Express , a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.Personal life
His older brother, Dave played for the
Chicago Cubs in the 1984 and 1985 seasons.ee also
*
Montreal Expos all-time roster External links
*
* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=owensp01 Baseball Almanac]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/O/Owen_Spike.stm Baseball Library]
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