Micah Owings - part time player?
by Orestes Destrade
on May 6, 2008 8:22 AM EDT
This guy deserves the opportunity to see what he can do with 250+ ABs. GMs now a days don't want to jeopardize a young pitcher's arm and choose to shy away from the idea of fielding a pitcher. I would agree with this philosophy with and ace of a staff or a potential ace of a staff. But, to be realistic in all lilkelyhood M. Owings is gonna have a very average career as a SP or reliever. So, why not maximize his talent/potential and see what he can do with the bat. Rick Ankiel's story should open GMs eyes.
First of all the days he is pitching he should bat no lower than 7th in the lineup. Everyday players know what he can do with the bat and won't be embarressed batting behind him. When he is replaced on the mound he should stay in the batting lineup as a double switch if he is having a good day at the plate. I don't know how much of a liability he is on the field and can only imagine him playing LF or 1B. I don't see the DBacks sitting Byrnes or Jackson so that is a problem.
If a position could be found for him I would have him on the field 2 days after a start and the following day (the two middle days in between starts). This could give him up to 300 ABs for the season if he could stay off the DL. He could fill a role similiar to what Tony Clark did the past couple of seasons. Being fairly modest I'll project his stats this season if he were to see about 300 ABs :
.283/.343/.520
Once again that is a modest prediction. That is projecting only 15 2Bs and 11 HRs over 300 ABs. He will probably strike out around 75 times in 300 ABs but, let's see if anyone off the DBacks bench gets close to the #s.
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Pros and cons
Thanks for the input. At the moment, I think the organization believes Owings’ greatest value is as a pitcher, and I can see why. I think the risk of injury is largely what’s keeping him from being used as a position player – the team may become a little more open to this when Doug Davis returns from the DL and proves his full fitness. The situation might also become a little different if Eric Byrnes is forced onto the DL [something I think most fans appear to want currently].
Certainly, 1B and LF are about the only places he could conceivably be any use. He’s a good athlete, but would be a liability on defense, simply because of a lack of experience. Would his proficiency with the bat offset this? Probably not at first, where Jackson has been our best hitter of the season so far. Left-field is a different issue. as Byrnes is struggling really-badly there right now, whether it’s due to his dodgy hamstrings or something else. But protecting him as a pitcher probably over-rides this, and I suspect we’ll see him as a PH much more than as a starter in the field.
by Jim McLennan on May 6, 2008 2:55 PM EDT 0 recs
I’d wait to see if he can reproduce the form from the start of the season. If he can keep his ERA under 4 and win games for us with his pitching, then pitching and pinch hitting is where he’s most valuable for us.
If he struggles with his pitching, we might have to think about a position for him. It would certainly be better than sending him down to pitch in AAA.
And of course, he shouldn’t pitch if he’s injured, as he clearly was in his last start. He looked better the other night when he beat out the infield single, but is he completely healthy?
by paqs on
May 7, 2008 7:05 AM EDT
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If he can handle it mentally, I would try it a couple times,
but wouldn’t his legs get tired?
Brandon Webb, do I need to say more?
by srdmad on May 6, 2008 5:37 PM EDT 0 recs
Tired of this
His value is as a pitcher. Why risk injury when you have a bench full of guys that are supposedly paid to be hitters and fielders? I would also be concerned that the more he batted, the more the league would get a book on him causing him to have to spend more time on his hitting to adjust. It’s just not a good idea.
Also, 15 2B’s and 11 HRs out of 85 hits is only a .443 SLG%. (300.283 = 84.9. 85 hits – 15 2B – 11 HR = 59 singles. 59 + 30 + 44 = 133 total bases. 133/300 = .433 SLG%. 300.520 = 156 total bases needed for a .520 SLG%.) Or is he going to hit 7.6 triples too? A .776 OPS isn’t the greatest for a 1B or a LF.
Bob Melvin Sucks
by nihil67 on May 6, 2008 5:58 PM EDT 0 recs
How does that compare
to our current LFer? Still early in the season but Byrnes looks like complete dog shit.
by AZSEAfan on
May 6, 2008 6:33 PM EDT
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The math is dodgy,
but I agree with the thrust of this.
People underestimate the number of nicks and bruises that position players accrue over the course of the season. When you’re catching fly balls or hitting a baseball, you can play through them. But for a pitcher, it doesn’t take much to even slightly alter a pitcher’s mechanics and dramatically increase both his chances of ineffectiveness and of injury.
When he’s at full health, I don’t mind him taking the occasional pinch-hitting appearance, but trying to convert him into a position player has the potential to wreck our rotation.
by dahlian on
May 7, 2008 3:47 AM EDT
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Well,
it might be just A BIT hyperbolic to say it “has the potential to wreck our rotation”....
Max Scherzer is all out of bubblegum.
by DbacksSkins on
May 13, 2008 8:41 PM EDT
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SLG%
I must have divided by 250 ABs instead of his projected 300 ABs. I did project him to have two 3Bs too. Not b/c of his speed but more of his ballpark and he has hit 1 already in his career.
by Orestes Destrade on
May 7, 2008 5:07 AM EDT
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Isn't his ops, like top 10 all time.
And what’s with your signature.
Brandon Webb, do I need to say more?
by srdmad on May 7, 2008 12:04 AM EDT 0 recs
Whose sig?
Max Scherzer is all out of bubblegum.
by DbacksSkins on
May 12, 2008 3:04 PM EDT
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he's kinda had a personal vendetta
against the man for awhile. In fact several of us do, most of us are indifferent.
Baseball season, when everything becomes right in the world.
by seton hall snake pit on
May 12, 2008 7:49 PM EDT
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he’s kinda had a personal vendettaagainst the man for awhile. In fact several of us do, most of us are indifferent.
What?
by foulpole on
May 13, 2008 9:04 PM EDT
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Yeah that was somewhat unclear....
Max Scherzer is all out of bubblegum.
by DbacksSkins on
May 13, 2008 9:09 PM EDT
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Ah.
srdmad, my friend, we REALLY need to teach you to use the “reply” function….
Max Scherzer is all out of bubblegum.
by DbacksSkins on
May 13, 2008 8:39 PM EDT
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Looks like he's a pretty good pitcher
One mistake aside, he pitched really well last night.
by paqs on May 8, 2008 6:43 AM EDT 0 recs
I would keep him as a pitcher and part time PH for now. Playing in the field could subject him to injury and fatigue for his starts. He’s still pretty young (what is it? 25?) and could be a very effective pitcher. Let him trot out to the mound every 5th day for the rest of the season and see how it goes.
by foulpole on May 8, 2008 9:25 PM EDT 0 recs
Wow… I agree AGAIN!!!
"There are only two seasons: winter and baseball"
-- Bill Veeck
by njjohn on
May 9, 2008 6:39 AM EDT
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That's what I been saying.
Brandon Webb, do I need to say more?
by srdmad on
May 9, 2008 9:13 AM EDT
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I also agree with foulpole.
It doesn’t happen often, but it happens.
Max Scherzer is all out of bubblegum.
by DbacksSkins on
May 12, 2008 3:06 PM EDT
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good idea but wouldn't do it
he’s obviously an amazing hitter, and if he were an average pitcher I would say yes, but he’s done great pitching so far this year with a 4.33 ERA and a record of 4-1. He is too good of a player pitching wise to risk injury playing in another position of the field. Also, playing another position would tire him out too much
by columbusOHcubsfan on May 9, 2008 4:03 PM EDT 1 recs
I agree
A guy like Rick Ankiel makes sense since he couldn’t find the strike zone, but you wouldn’t do that with Owings, or a guy like Carlos Zambrano. As long as pitching is in higher demand than hitting, I can’t see any manager doing this.
"Hey! If the moon were made of ribs, wouldja eat it? I know I would!"
by cubs0505 on May 12, 2008 12:02 AM EDT 0 recs
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