Nothing is a given in baseball, even for first-round picks.
Chris Owings made the most of his baseball career, and he announced his retirement last week.
"This game has given me more than I could've ever imagined," Owings wrote in an Instagram post.
The Diamondbacks drafted Owings in the 2009 first round.
He ended up playing in parts of six seasons for Arizona, appearing in 575 games for the snakes.
He batted .250 with solid shortstop defense while with the Diamondbacks.
Owings led the majors in triples in 2016 while batting .277 and also taking up some time in centerfield.
"Thank you to the Arizona Diamondbacks for taking a chance on a 17-year-old kid from Gilbert, South Carolina, and giving me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream of playing in the big leagues," Owings wrote on IG.
After Arizona, Owings appeared in games for the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Owings played his last MLB game for the Pirates in 2023, then played in 80 games at Triple-A in 2024 in the Dodgers' organization.
In total, Owings played 723 MLB games and batted .239.
"I’m beyond grateful for this journey — and excited for what’s next!" Owings ended his IG post.
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