Owen is the 259th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Green Bay Bullfrog Hunter Owen, made his Major League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Owen is the 259th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Owen, who played collegiately at Indiana State University, played for the Green Bay Bullfrogs in 2016. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 25th round of the 2016 MLB draft.
In 2016 with the Bullfrogs, Owen played in 11 games and hit .216 with a home run and four RBI. He stole three bases and scored three times.
Owen began his professional career in 2016 with the West Virginia Black Bears of the Short-Season A New York-Penn League. He played in 52 games with the Black Bears and hit .257 with five home runs, 10 doubles and two triples. He drove in 34 runs, stole four bases, and scored 31 times.
Owen started the 2017 season with the Pirates Rookie level team in the Gulf Coast League. After three games he went back to the Black Bears for three games. He then finished his season with the West Virginia Power of the Lo-A South Atlantic League. For the season, he played in 89 games and hit .284 with 13 home runs, 23 doubles and four triples. He drove in 49 runs, walked 27 times, and stole three bases.
In 2018 Owen was promoted again and spent the season with the Bradenton Marauders of the Hi-A Florida State League. With the Marauders he hit .262 in 111 games and had 18 home runs, 21 doubles and three triples. He scored 53 times, drove in 60 runs, and stole four bases.
Owen split the 2019 season between the Altoona Curve of the AA Eastern League and the Indianapolis Indians of the AAA International League. For the season, he hit a combined .261 with 19 home runs, 19 doubles and two triples. He drove in 53 runs, walked 27 times, and scored 57 runs.
Owen was called up on May 4 and made his Major League debut against the San Diego Padres. Owen started the game in right field and went 0-2 at the plate with a hit by pitch.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now entering its’ 28th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
