Marv Owen
Marvin James Owen
(Freck)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 175 lb.
- School Santa Clara University
- High School San Jose High School, Bellarmine College Preparatory
- Debut April 16, 1931
- Final Game August 2, 1940
- Born March 22, 1906 in Agnew, CA USA
- Died June 22, 1991 in Mountain View, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Marv Owen played nine years in the majors, mostly with the Detroit Tigers during the time of Hank Greenberg and Charlie Gehringer, with whom he played in the infield. He was in the 1934 World Series, which the Tigers lost, and the 1935 World Series, which the Tigers won. His best year with the bat was with the 1934 Tigers, when he hit .317, got 59 walks, and had 98 RBI. He played exclusively third base in 1933-35 and 1937-39, but in other years occasionally played elsewhere in the infield.
He had several years in the minors before coming up for good with the Tigers (he played much of 1931 with them but was back in the minors in 1932). After his major league days he had six years with the Portland Beavers, through age 40, and then one year with the San Jose Red Sox.
After managing in the minors for over 10 years, Marv Owen would scout for the Detroit Tigers into the early 1970s. At age 24, he was head coach at Santa Clara University in 1930.
Marv Owen and Moose Solters were both born on March 22, 1906. Both played nine years in the majors and both appeared exclusively in the American League for several teams. However, they were never on the same team at the same time. The closest they came was when Marv was with the Chicago White Sox in 1938-39, while Moose was with the White Sox in 1940-41.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 1932 MVP International League Toronto Maple Leafs & Newark Bears
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1936)
- Won a World Series with the Detroit Tigers in 1935
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Portland Beavers | Pacific Coast League | 87-82 | 2nd | none | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1945 | Portland Beavers | Pacific Coast League | 112-68 | 1st | none | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1946 | Portland Beavers | Pacific Coast League | 74-109 | 7th (t) | none | ||
| 1947 | San Jose Red Sox | California League | 79-61 | 3rd | Boston Red Sox | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1948 | San Jose Red Sox | California League | 64-76 | 7th | Boston Red Sox | ||
| 1949 | San Jose Red Sox | California League | 76-64 | 4th | Boston Red Sox | League Champs | |
| 1950 | San Jose Red Sox | California League | 78-62 | 4th | Boston Red Sox | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1951 | San Jose Red Sox | California League | 80-67 | 2nd | Boston Red Sox | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1952 | Davenport Tigers | Three-I League | 54-69 | 6th | Detroit Tigers | ||
| 1953 | Durham Bulls | Carolina League | 64-75 | 7th | Detroit Tigers | ||
| 1954 | Valdosta Tigers | Georgia-Florida League | 29-52 | -- | Detroit Tigers | replaced by Stan Wasiak on July 1 |
Records Held[edit]
- Tied MLB record by hitting four doubles in a game, April 23, 1939
Further Reading[edit]
- Mark Armour: "Marv Owen", in Scott Ferkovich, ed.: Detroit the Unconquerable: the 1935 World Champion Tigers, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 103-106. ISBN 978-1-933599-78-6
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