Chris Owings brings versatility to Diamondbacks’ lineup

Chris Owings looked up during a game in Mesa last month and noticed that Ben Zobrist, who had manned left field for the Chicago Cubs during the World Series, was at second base that day in spring training. Owings couldn’t help but think about his own potential role as a multi-positional specialist.

It’s no secret that Owings views himself first as a shortstop. It’s the position he grew up playing, the one at which he feels most comfortable. And it seems likely to be the position he plays the most for the Diamondbacks this season, after a spring training performance that seemingly won him the lion’s share of starts.

But Owings has been around enough – and bounced around enough – to know things can change quickly. In his time in the big leagues he has gone from shortstop to second base to center field and back to shortstop, and the Diamondbacks had him in right field occasionally in the final weeks of spring training.

“I think the biggest thing is whatever can give us the best lineup that day might be the best scenario,” Owings said. “If somebody gets hurt and you can slide around to different positions and keep playing, help the team out, I’m fine with it.”

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While Owings is viewed by scouts as a solid defender wherever he’s played, a big part of the allure is his bat, which helped give the Diamondbacks an Opening Day win with a walkoff single on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants.

Owings’ numbers ticked up last season as he got further removed from the October 2014 shoulder surgery he had to repair a torn right labrum. The shoulder might have been the only reason he ever failed to put together solid numbers at the big-league level.

Owings hurt his shoulder on June 20, 2014, in a home-plate collision with then-Giants catcher Hector Sanchez. To that point in his career, he owned a .284/.327/.450 slash line. He tried to play through the injury but struggled the rest of the season.

Those struggles continued throughout 2015, which wasn’t unexpected; doctors had told him he’d probably need a full year to regain full strength in his shoulder. From the day of the injury through the end of 2015, he hit just .223/.262/.310 in 634 plate appearances.

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Looking back, Owings said he couldn’t find a happy medium between giving the shoulder rest and working on his swing. When he did work on his swing, he’d feel it.

“Some days, I’d be in the on-deck circle before I’d hit and I’d be swinging and my shoulder would be killing me before I went up to the plate,” he said.

Take out the injury-related numbers and Owings is a .280 hitter with a .750 OPS in his career. Owings says he is looking to build on his 2016, and he’s made some adjustments to his bat path in his swing that he hopes lead to even better results. For what it’s worth, his numbers during spring training were impressive: .345/.377/.534 with two homers and three steals.

“I’m just trying to be a better hitter,” he said. “For me, I felt like I could improve in a lot of ways, maybe kind of spread out a little bit and calm some things down to see if I could see the ball a little bit better. I’m just putting my hands in a good position to repeat the same swing every time.”

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As for where he plays – and how often – that remains to be seen. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo threw out a number for starts he anticipates for shortstop Nick Ahmed during a pregame media session on Sunday, then backtracked, asking reporters to “strike that from the record.”

It seems plausible that Owings could see time in right field against certain left-handers. Right fielder David Peralta has always struggled against lefties, while Ahmed is far more productive against them.

“Both guys give us a lot of variety and maneuverability,” Lovullo said of his shortstops. “I like that. I think National League baseball is that type of a game. It’s a credit to the system that we have two really good players who are going to play the position.”

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Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

Tuesday’s game

Giants at Diamondbacks

When: 6:40 p.m.

Where: Chase Field (Roof hotline: 602-462-6262).

Pitchers: Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (5-13, 5.15)* vs. Giants RHP Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79)*.

TV/radio: FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7), KHOV-FM (105.1).

*Stats from 2016

Corbin was the Diamondbacks’ most consistent pitcher during spring training, posting a 3.44 ERA in 18 1/3 innings in the Cactus League. He also threw well in a pair of minor-league starts during camp. … Corbin owns a 3.46 ERA in his career against the Giants, including a 3.66 ERA in 19 2/3 innings against them last year. … OF Hunter Pence hits him hard, having gone 12 for 25 (.480) with four homers off Corbin. … Cueto led the National League last season with five complete games. … He has a 3.17 ERA in his career against the Diamondbacks, but allowed 15 earned runs in 32 2/3 innings (4.13 ERA) in five starts last season. … 3B Jake Lamb has good numbers against him. He is 5 for 14 (.357) with a pair of doubles and a home run.

Coming up

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Taijuan Walker (8-11, 4.22)* vs. Giants LHP Matt Moore (13-12, 4.08)*.

Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (8-15, 4.90)* vs. Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija (12-11, 3.81)*.

Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller (3-12, 6.15)* vs. Indians RHP Josh Tomlin (13-9, 4.40)*.

*Stats from 2016