Reds Officially Acquire Owings

Back in April, when Owings was 4-0 & hitting over .300, local media was envisioning him being on the All Star team & participating in the Home Run Derby. Then Owings stopped hitting & completely fell apart on the mound. Considering Adam Dunn may very well be a two (or by some miracle, three) month rental, this trade could be huge for the Reds if they can straighten Owings out.

I agree that Owings needs to be converted to the field. Imagine his bat with everyday seasoning. He could be better than Ankiel. Also, he is right handed, so potentially he could be converted to 3B or something.

"I doubt he can field at all, he doesnt look very athletic."

Owings is 6'5", 225, which is a rather athletic build. An inch shorter and the same weight as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Also, he seems pretty agile off the mound, and the numbers back that with a high range factor and decent fielding percentage.

"Besides, dont forget how long it took to Ankiel to learn outfield and he still misjudges balls once in a while."

Remember that 1) Ankiel was learning CF, which is the hardest OF position to learn, 2) was set back a year when he tore up his knee and 3) was trying to come back as a pitcher as late as 2004.

If Owings was converted to a corner outfielder, he could probably be back in the majors after a year if he hits anything like the way he did last year. It will be a good thing too, since Dunn and Griffey are gone.

If the pitching gig doesn't work out, he can hit clean up at the Great American Ballpark and get 30+ HR's.

He played 1B/3B in college.

At worst, he would be traded to an AL team and DH.

And, his first Reds AB was a game winning double.