Micah Owings

After a promising spring and a few good starts early in the season, Owings' season ended with him working sparingly out of the bullpen. He finished with a 7-12 record and a 5.34 ERA. Owings' future with the Reds is just as murky now as it was when he first joined the organization. He's not seriously being considered for a rotation spot, pending what the Reds do over the offseason, and there's some debate whether he's better suited as an outfielder than as a pitcher.

Owings is more than just a good hitting pitcher - he's a good hitter, period. Unfortunately, pretty soon he and his team are going to have to decide whether that's something he should be doing full-time, rather than pitching. We'll give him a slight pass for his 2008 collapse because the shoulder stiffness he suffered late in the season - it's entirely plausible that he was trying to pitch through it before the injury was announced. But though he strikes out hitters at an acceptable rate, he gives up entirely too many fly balls to be successful, and moving to Cincinnati isn't going to help. At best, he's a fifth starter right now, and at some point he might just be a right-handed power bat off the bench.

Owings held his own in the Arizona rotation as a 24-year-old rookie, while showing improvement after the All-Star break with a 53:19 K:BB ratio in 72.2 innings. Owings also did his share in helping generate his own run support, going 20-for-60 (.333) with four homers and 15 RBI en route to a Silver Slugger award. With a pair of aces atop the rotation and veterans Randy Johnson (if healthy) and Doug Davis penciled into the middle, Owings will again pitch as the D-Backs' fourth or fifth starter. However, he could see additional playing time as Arizona is considering the possibility of using him at first base to get his bat into the lineup more frequently.

The team's No. 3 pick in 2004 was protected in '05, but not last year. Owings used terrific command to blow through Double-A in just three months, and held his own upon a promotion to Triple-A Tucson. He'll be pitching for the D'backs after the All-Star break, and he's a good bet to do well.

Arizona drafted Owings in the third round in 2005 and he did well at high Single-A. If he can continue his success at Double-A in 2006, Owings could contend for a big league job as soon as 2007. He was a great hitter at Tulane - this could be the next Jason Marquis.