Back in February, Buster Olney said that the Arizona Diamondbacks have "a
good ol' fashioned showdown" on their hands this spring for their starting
shortstop job, and whoever wins "bears a lot of responsibility, considering how
the D-Backs have loaded up and taken their payroll over $100 million." It's now
mid-March, and the winner of that competition may finally be in sight.
The candidates:
Didi Gregorius, age 23, bats left
Chris Owings, age 22, bats right
Gregorius: A strong defensive shortstop, but over the course of starting 97 games for Arizona last year, his batting average dropped steadily with each passing month.
Owings: Played in 20 games for the Diamondbacks after a September call-up, hitting .291 in 55 at-bats. Clearly the better offensive option at shortstop, he hit .330 for Triple-A Reno prior to the promotion.
Latest update: According to ESPN.com's Jim Bowden, "I'm hearing that Owings will be the everyday shortstop. It hasn't been announced yet, but word is they are going to start him over Gregorius because of his bat. Gregorius should be a good trade piece for them at some point this summer because I expect Owings will be a Rookie of the Year candidate."
Current leader: Seems like it's clearly Owings, who has outhit Gregorius .279 to .222 so far this spring. As for Gregorius, the New York Mets have been rumored to be "continuing to monitor" this Diamondbacks competition and, according to John Harper of the New York Daily News, "could jump in" before the end of spring training.
The candidates:
Didi Gregorius, age 23, bats left
Chris Owings, age 22, bats right
Gregorius: A strong defensive shortstop, but over the course of starting 97 games for Arizona last year, his batting average dropped steadily with each passing month.
Owings: Played in 20 games for the Diamondbacks after a September call-up, hitting .291 in 55 at-bats. Clearly the better offensive option at shortstop, he hit .330 for Triple-A Reno prior to the promotion.
Latest update: According to ESPN.com's Jim Bowden, "I'm hearing that Owings will be the everyday shortstop. It hasn't been announced yet, but word is they are going to start him over Gregorius because of his bat. Gregorius should be a good trade piece for them at some point this summer because I expect Owings will be a Rookie of the Year candidate."
Current leader: Seems like it's clearly Owings, who has outhit Gregorius .279 to .222 so far this spring. As for Gregorius, the New York Mets have been rumored to be "continuing to monitor" this Diamondbacks competition and, according to John Harper of the New York Daily News, "could jump in" before the end of spring training.
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