Owings is a good hitting pitcher. I'm not sure that he is a good hitter. Throw him breaking balls low and away, and he's done.
Owings is a good hitting pitcher. I'm not sure that he is a good hitter. Throw him breaking balls low and away, and he's done.
He has a career OPS of .899. Yes, he's still toiling in the realm of 'sample size' issues. But he's got about 150 at-bats now and has carried these numbers consistently having spread the plate appearances over three seasons.Originally Posted by traderumor
I'm not sure what he has to do to be considered better than just 'a hitting pitcher.' Rick Ankiel, after his loss in control, was believed to probably not cut it as an everyday player before his conversion. He's done pretty well for himself, and I would have to think Owings has more upside than did Ankiel.
Give him everyday at-bats and I bet he could hold an OPS over .900. If that were the case, he'd be highly successful, obviously.
He might struggle with the breaking ball, but he also is not getting a chance to hit it every day. I think over time he would figure that out.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
I doubt he could hold an OPS over .900 because he just simply doesn't have the patience to OBP .375-.400 needed to do so. While he has some pop, he isn't a .550 SLG guy as an every day player.
I watched him crush a pitch against the Astros that a CF with a slightly slower foot speed, say Ankiel, would have played into a double at least.
He's got fantastic power, and I think he's giving hitting lessons to Harang, he of the .182 BA this year.
I'd love to see him start 1 game in LF.
Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.
As the Brewers revealed yesterday, he is helpless against off speed pitches as long as his hitting style involves stepping in the bucket and letting 'er rip. It doesn't take long for major league pitching to expose such a bush league approach to hitting.
This is true he does step in the bucket awful bad. That said that PH HR he hit off of Franklin was a low and away slider that he was able to wait on & pull out of the park. He needs some work on it but he could be a really solid bat, but as DD pointed out he'd need to brush up on his patience, or should I say get some at all.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
I would say that Owings would have to do like Ankiel and start over his career as a hitter and spend some times in the minors learning how to take the natural ability he has, which is what we see in his pitcher's hitting, and become a hitter and become passable in fielding a position. Right now he is just a hacker. Hacker's sometimes have good results. Heck WMP used to hit balls 500 feet with his hacking.
But, the suggestions I have seen, and some seem serious, think he could just pick up a glove and play LF or 1B. While it may be something that Jimmy Bowden would try, I do not think it would be a good outcome.
Ankiel spent two years in the minors working on his hitting.
If I had to guess, if Owings spent a similar time in the minors focusing exclusively on hitting, he would work on his approach to breaking stuff down and away, work on plate discipline, and come out the other side a very very useful major league hitter.
Agree with both of you. And with his arm he should/could make for an outstanding LF.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
Well, .900 is probably a little lofty, but more than the number itself I more or less meant he could put up some gaudy numbers as an everyday hitter. Would it be that high? Maybe not. But .820 to .850 is not at all unrealistic, and that would most certainly be good for any hitter let alone a converted pitcher.
He too is not even in the 'prime' of his career. Given another 1,000 at-bats to work on patience, discipline and the ability to hit a bona fide breaking ball, I would have to think he has the potential to be something special with the bat.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
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