Arizona Diamondbacks GM on Chris Owings: ‘Not surprised by what he’s doing’
May 7, 2014, 5:56 PM | Updated: 5:57 pm
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ newest young star reminds the team’s general manager of the team’s best player.
“He reminds me a lot of Goldy,” Kevin Towers told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Wednesday when asked about shortstop Chris Owings.
Towers said Owings, who was recently named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for March and April, made an impression a few years ago when he was in the team’s big league camp. He wasn’t really a candidate to make the Major League roster at the time, but the team wanted a closer look at one of its top prospects.
“(A.J.) Pollock and C.O. were guys who when you would talk to them about what they need to do when they go back down to the minor leagues, they were mature beyond their years, knew what they had to do, knew what they had to work on to get back up here,” he said.
The 22-year-old Owings had to win a spring training battle with Didi Gregorius to earn the job, but since doing so has entrenched himself with the team. He leads MLB rookies in hits and is tied with the Yankees’ Yangervis Solarte for the top batting average among first-year players.
Entering play Wednesday, Owings was hitting .298 with one home run and four RBI. Mostly slotted in back half of the lineup this season, he was moved to the second spot Tuesday night and responded with his first career homer.
“Just an incredible athlete, a great kid. Does all the little things right,” Towers said, noting how the shortstop rebounded from a poor start Tuesday to have a solid game. “Not surprised by what he’s doing; I think he’s only going to get better the more comfortable he gets at this level.”
