Chris Owings, Shortstop, Pittsburgh Pirates


Date of Birth: 8/12/1991
Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina

Chris Owings, shortstop for the New York Yankees, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of high school in 2009. He spent five years in the minor leagues and had a batting average of .291. He made his major league debut in 2013 with 20 games with the Diamondbacks. In 2014, he batted .261 with 81 hits, 15 doubles, and 67 strikeouts to 16 walks in 91 games. As a shortstop, he made 165 assists, 36 double plays, 77 putouts, and 11 errors in 61 games.

In 2015, his first full season in the major leagues, Owings batted .227 with 117 hits, 27 doubles, 16 stolen bases, and 43 RBIs in 147 games. Defensively, at second base, he made 289 assists, 65 double plays, 154 putouts, and 4 errors for a .991 fielding percentage.

Owings played in 119 games with the Diamondbacks in 2016. He finished the season with 121 hits, 24 doubles, 49 RBIs, and a .277 batting average. Defensively, he played one game at second base, 70 games at shortstop, and 49 games in center field.

Owings spent half of the 2017 season on the DL, playing in just 97 games with the Diamondbacks. He batted .268 with 97 hits, 25 doubles, 12 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 87 strikeouts to 17 walks. Defensively, he played 22 games at second base, 54 games at shortstop, 1 game in left field, and 25 games in right field. He didn't play in the postseason.

Owings batted .206 with 58 hits in 106 games in 2018. Defensively, he played at second base and third base and at all three outfield positions.

Owings became a free agent on November 30, 2018. He signed with the Kansas City Royals on December 5th. He was released on June 4, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox on June 17th. He played in 40 games with the Royals and 26 games with the Red Sox in 2019 and he had 25 hits and a .139 batting average. He also played in 44 games in the minors.

Owings became a free agent on October 21, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on December 23, 2019. He played in just 17 games in 2020, and he had 11 hits and a .268 batting average.

Owings elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on January 20, 2021. He spent most of the 2021 season on the IL with thumb injuries.

Owings became a free agent again on November 3, 2021. He signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on March 15, 2022. He was released on June 12th, and six days later, he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees.

Owings became a free agent on November 10, 2022. He signed a minor league contract with the Pirates on February 2, 2023.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Chris Owings
ESPN - Chris Owings