Pittsburgh Pirates Promote Veteran Infielder Chris Owings
The Pittsburgh Pirates have had quite the skid after a scorching start to the season. The Team had the best record in the National League before taking on the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays, who they lost all 6 games to. Now they are promoting veteran infielder Chris Owings to try and help calm the storm that has appeared.
Owings began his baseball journey at Gilbert High School, where he quickly established himself as a standout player. His remarkable talent and passion for the game caught the attention of scouts, leading to his selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft.
Throughout his career, Owings has primarily played as a shortstop, displaying exceptional defensive prowess and plus arm strength. His agility and quick reflexes make him a formidable force in the infield, capable of making difficult plays look effortless. However, more recently he has seen his defense decline some. Still, a veteran shortstop could help stabilize the defense some.
Over the years, Owings has played for several teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, and Colorado Rockies. In 2022 Owings played 30 games with the Baltimore Orioles. He had a tough time with them batting just .107 in those games.
Chris Owings does not have much of a track record to be excited about, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are giving him a chance during this losing streak.
Owings is not going to bring much with the bat. For his career, he has slashed .239/.287/.366. He has struck out just over 25% of the time in his career. Overall, he has posted an above-average ISO of .113 so there is a positive. As I mentioned above Owings has sneaky pop, the issue is that he does not make enough consistent contact.
Hopefully, Owings is here to sure up the bench. As of now, the team does not have much in terms of a backup middle infielder. Right now, Rodolfo Castro has been getting the bulk of the starts. However, he has committed a. series of errors recently. Hopefully, the Pittsburgh Pirates catch lightning in a bottle and can get some productive Baseball out of Owings. As of now, there has been no roster move officially announced.