Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50 

A product of a South Portland (Maine) HS program that has produced four big league pitchers, most notably Bill Swift, Owen was his state's top prospect in 2020 but opted to attend Vanderbilt rather than turn pro. After spending his first two college seasons as a reliever, he has made a successful transition to the rotation and may be the best lefty college starter in the Draft. But his status was clouded when he missed four starts in six weeks down the stretch with a tired arm after sitting out the final two months of last season with an unspecified ailment. 

Before he was sidelined, Owen displayed a fastball that sat at 92-94 mph and touched 97 with a flat approach angle and good carry. He favors his upper-70s curveball over his mid-80s slider but scouts prefer the latter breaking ball because it has more power and misses significantly more bats. He also shows aptitude for throwing a mid-80s changeup with some sink. 

One of the biggest pitchers in the Draft at 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds, Owen is strong and physical. He's an efficient strike-thrower with all of his offerings and there are no red flags with his delivery, so he should be built for durability. Missing time in consecutive seasons leads to questions about his ability to hold up as a starter, however. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

Three seasons at Vanderbilt both starting and relieving as well as a strong MLB Draft Combine showing led the Royals to take Owen in the fourth round of the 2023 Draft, signing him for $631,700, He might have gone higher if not for injury concerns in his final season at Vandy. Owen put those aside by throwing 102 innings across 23 games (22 starts) for High-A Quad Cities in his first pro season. He had a 4.20 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP, an 18.9% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate.

Owen is a presence on the mound at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds. His fastball is 90-94 mph with solid carry and vert to it and uses the top of the zone well. His 86-89 mph slider is smaller, almost cutter-like, misses bats and has potential to be his out pitch, while his 75-76 mph curveball is still developing after he wasn't able to land it much in 2024. His 83-85 mph changeup is near average with sink and gets some chase on it. Owen’s delivery is simple but does have some effort because of his bigger frame, although he likes using that strong presence to his advantage on the mound. 

Owen looks the part of a big-bodied rotation guy who’s built like a workhorse, so it was good to see him stay healthy across a full season with a lot of innings and a jump from what he had in ‘23. He’ll head to Double-A in 2025 and projects as a back-end starter if he can keep developing his secondaries, but that stuff might tick up in a bullpen, especially against lefties.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Owen was Maine’s top prep prospect in 2020, but he opted to attend Vanderbilt rather than turn pro right away. He was a reliever his first two seasons, then a starter in ‘23, but he could not stay healthy with a tired arm after flashing first-round stuff in the spring. A strong showing at the MLB Draft Combine eased some concerns, and the Royals took him in the fourth round of the 2023 Draft. Owen didn’t pitch last year with the Royals after the up-and-down nature of his season.

All of the stuff Owen flashed early on last spring was impressive. His 92-94 mph fastball has good carry, while his upper-70s curveball is above-average. A mid-80s slider missed bats with a whiff rate of 46 percent as a junior, and a mid-80s sinking changeup grades out as average but has potential to improve. Owen is an effective strike-thrower with all his pitches. He’s a big guy at 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds, but he has a simple and athletic delivery despite the sometimes uneven tempo to it.

The former Commodore faces major question marks about his health and durability entering his pro career. As a college pitcher coming out of a program like Vanderbilt, one might hope to accelerate his development a bit quicker, as long as he can stick on the mound. He’ll begin his career as a starter, but his stuff and presence would fit in a bullpen.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

A product of a South Portland (Maine) HS program that has produced four big league pitchers, most notably Bill Swift, Owen was his state's top prospect in 2020 but opted to attend Vanderbilt rather than turn pro. After spending his first two college seasons as a reliever, he made a successful transition to the rotation this spring. His status was clouded when he missed four starts in six weeks down the stretch with a tired arm after sitting out the final two months of last season with an unspecified ailment, but a strong showing at the MLB Draft Combine eased some of those concerns. The Royals took him in the fourth round and he signed for $631,700.

Before he was sidelined, Owen displayed a fastball that sat at 92-94 mph and touched 97 with a flat approach angle and good carry. He favors his upper-70s curveball over his mid-80s slider, but scouts prefer the latter breaking ball because it has more power and misses significantly more bats. He also shows aptitude for throwing a mid-80s changeup with some sink. 

One of the biggest pitchers in the 2023 Draft at 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds, Owen is strong and physical. He's an efficient strike-thrower with all of his offerings, and there are no red flags with his delivery, so he should be built for durability. Missing time in consecutive seasons leads to questions about his ability to hold up as a starter, however.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	09/10/2025	LHP Hunter Owen assigned to Surprise Saguaros.
	07/24/2025	Northwest Arkansas Naturals activated LHP Hunter Owen from the 7-day injured list.
	07/05/2025	Northwest Arkansas Naturals placed LHP Hunter Owen on the 7-day injured list.
	04/03/2025	LHP Hunter Owen assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
	04/03/2024	LHP Hunter Owen assigned to Quad Cities River Bandits from ACL Royals.
	03/07/2024	Kansas City Royals Prospects activated LHP Hunter Owen.
	08/10/2023	LHP Hunter Owen roster status changed by ACL Royals.
	08/10/2023	LHP Hunter Owen assigned to Royals Organization.
	08/10/2023	ACL Royals activated LHP Hunter Owen.
	07/18/2023	Kansas City Royals signed LHP Hunter Owen.
	06/15/2023	LHP Hunter Owen assigned to College Workout.
	02/08/2023	LHP Hunter Owen assigned to Vanderbilt Commodores.
	02/08/2023	Vanderbilt Commodores activated LHP Hunter Owen.