Owen familiar with minor-league roller coaster

Dylan Owen hasn’t faced much adversity coming up in the minor leagues.

Until this year.

The former Francis Marion University standout breezed through the New York Mets’ Class A affiliates, racking up numerous honors, including being named the Florida StateLeague Pitcher of the Year last season and the New York Penn League Player of the Year in 2007.

But Owen has had his share of ups in downs in his first full season at Double-A Binghamton.

The right-hander is 3-7 with a 5.65 ERA this season after winning 21 games in his first two seasons in Class A Brooklyn and St. Lucie.

“This has definitely been my toughest season,” Owen said last week. “I really hadn’t struggled like this but everyone in the minor leagues goes through it.”

The low point of his year came near the end of May when he was sent down to Class A St. Lucie.

“I wasn’t getting the job done and wasn’t pitching like I knew I could,” Owen said. “I just tried to work hard and see how fast I could get back up to Binghamton. And I just tried to stay positive the whole time I was there.”

Owen’s struggles at the double-A level aren’t uncommon because most players and coaches feel the jump from Class A to Double-A is the biggest jump to make in the minor leagues.

“This is the most difficult level to make adjustments,” Binghamton pitching coach Hector Berrios said. “But if you can do it then you usually can get a shot at the next level.”

Owen’s main problem was with his delivery, which caused him to leave balls up in the strike zone and were capitalized on by the Double-A hitters. He also wasn’t able to throw his slider, his most effective pitch, for strikes on a consistent basis.

When Owen was sent down, Berrios and St. Lucie pitching coach Phil Regan devised a plan to work on his delivery. Berrios said Owen’s hands were drifting and weren’t breaking across the rubber so they tried to shorten his delivery and work on his release point.

The result?

Owen was back to his old self. In three games at St. Lucie, Owen went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and had 13 strikeouts in 18 innings. He also was named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week.

“He was basically dominant down there and was at the top of his game,” Berrios said.

And Owen got his confidence back as well.

“His mannerisms on the mound have changed,” Berrios said. “He is much more confident when he goes through tough times on the mound and is able to make the pitches to get those significant outs he needs to.

“He definitely has shown flashes of a locating pitches like a major leaguer. Now he just needs to do it on a consistent level.”

Since his return, Owen is 3-2 in eight starts. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in half of those.

Owen said he is pleased with his development during the last month but knows it’s a work in progress the rest of the season.

“I still have a lot to work on and I’m just trying to get comfortable with my new windup,” Owen said. “But I’m going to stay positive and work on everything.

“Baseball is really humbling sport. The one day you think you have it figured out and the next time out it can be completely gone.”