By Annie Walker
July 28, 2024
DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers announced that they have acquired catcher Liam Hicks and righthanded pitcher Tyler Owens from the Texas Rangers in exchange for catcher Carson Kelly.
Hicks, 25, has spent the entire 2024 season with Double A Frisco, appearing in 80 games and batting .260/.364/.353 with 15 doubles, four home runs and 33 RBI. Hicks has walked nearly as much as he’s struck out this season, drawing 41 bases on balls was striking out 44 times.
Originally drafted by Texas in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Hicks has played in 209 games over three professional seasons, batting .267/.395/.365 with 36 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and 99 RBI. He was named a Rangers Organization All-Star by MiLB.com in 2022 and 2023. Hicks put up impressive numbers in the Arizona Fall League in 2023, slashing .449/.553/.522 with five doubles and 12 RBI. He earned AFL Player of the Week honors for the week ending October 14 and was selected to play in the AFL Rising Stars Game.
Owens, 23, has made 26 relief appearances with Frisco this season, going 2-0 with eight saves, a 2.80 ERA (35.1IP/11ER) and 35 strikeouts. He currently ranks tied for fourth in the Texas League with eight saves, while ranking fifth among Texas League relievers (min. 35.0 innings) with 2.29 walks per 9.0 innings and a 3.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio, seventh with a 2.86 FIP and eighth with a 2.80 ERA.
Owens, who was drafted by Atlanta in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, has made 103 appearances, including 32 starts, as a professional, compiling a 7-15 record with 17 saves, a 4.10 ERA (204.1IP/93ER) and 218 strikeouts. He was acquired by Texas from Atlanta in exchange for OF J.P. Martinez on January 26, 2024.
Kelly, 30, has played in 60 games with the Tigers this season, batting .240/.325/.391 with four doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 29 RBI.
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