Marv Owen | |||
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Third baseman | |||
Born: Agnew, California |
March 22, 1906|||
Died: June 22, 1991 Mountain View, California |
(aged 85)|||
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MLB debut | |||
April 16, 1931, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
August 2, 1940, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .275 | ||
Home runs | 31 | ||
Runs batted in | 499 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Marvin James Owen (March 22, 1906 – June 22, 1991) was an American baseball player, manager, coach and scout.
A native of northern California, Owen played both baseball and football at Santa Clara University. He made his Major League Baseball debut in 1931, but spent the 1932 season in the International League where he was named the league's Most Valuable Player. He returned to the Tigers in 1933, became part of Detroit's "Battalion of Death" infield, and remained the team's starting third baseman from 1933 to 1937. He had his best season in 1934 when he compiled a .317 batting average with 98 RBIs. He was involved in a fight with Joe Medwick during the final game of the 1934 World Series that led to a near riot and Medwick's ejection from the game.
In December 1937, Owen was traded to the Chicago White Sox where he played in 1938 and 1939 and compiled a career-high 305 assists in 1938. In December 1939, he was sold to the Boston Red Sox where he concluded his major league career during the 1940 season. During his nine-year career in Major League Baseball, Owen compiled a .275 batting average and .339 on-base percentage, appeared in 1,011 games, and totaled 1,388 total bases, 1,040 hits, 499 RBIs, 474 runs scored, 338 bases on balls, and 242 extra base hits.
Owen later served as a minor league manager for 11 years for the Portland Beavers (1944–1946), San Jose Red Sox (1947–1951), Davenport Tigers (1952), Durham Bulls (1953), and Valdosta Tigers (1954). He was also a scout for the Detroit Tigers until retiring in the 1970s.