Veteran major league utility player Chris Owings announced his retirement on Instagram.
“After 16 years in professional baseball, it’s time to hang up the spikes,” Owings wrote. “The game has given me more than I could’ve ever imagined — lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories, and lessons that will stay with me forever.”
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Owings, 34, was primarily an infielder in a nine-year major league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2013-18), Kansas City Royals (2019), Boston Red Sox (2019), Colorado Rockies (2020-21), Baltimore Orioles (2022), and Pittsburgh Pirates (2023).
Owings last played in 2024, when he signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February and appeared in 14 Cactus League games in spring training. Despite a solid .269/.424/.462 slash line, he spent the entire season with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets.
In what proved to be his final season, Owings hit .262 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 80 games for the Dodgers’ top farm team.
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Owings’ best years came with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who drafted him 41st overall in 2009 out of Gilbert (S.C.) High School. In 2013, Owings was selected to play for the United States entry in the Futures Game, before making his major league debut that September. By 2014, he was a consensus Top-100 prospect.
Although never a star, Owings’ speed on the bases and versatility in the field made him a valuable player for the next decade. His best season came in 2015 with the Diamondbacks, when he led the National League in triples (11) despite playing only 119 games. That year he hit a career-best .277 with a .731 OPS (88 OPS+) and stole 21 bases.
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After eight seasons with the Diamondbacks, Owings played for seven organizations over his final eight years (2017-24). His brief stint with the New York Yankees in 2022 did not yield a promotion from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Owings played seven different positions — everything but first base and catcher — at the major league level.
“I’m beyond grateful for this journey — and excited for what’s next!” he wrote on Instagram.
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