Chris Owings

Owings streaked to the front of the class of prep hitters in South Carolina and into second-round consideration for several teams, who saw him as an offensive middle infielder capable of staying at shortstop. He joined North Carolina's top prep hitter, Wil Myers, as part of a boffo South Carolina recruiting class, but both were in danger of signing as two of the more accomplished prep position players with present offensive skills and middle-of-the-diamond defensive ability. Owings reminds some scouts of former Georgia All-American Gordon Beckham, though with less power. Owings has offensive tools and put them together at the right time for crosscheckers and scouting directors. He has quick, strong hands and average speed, and makes an impact in several ways as a hitter. He added strength over the last year and hits with more authority, prompting his move up draft boards. He's an average defender at short, though he lacks natural, true shortstop actions. Some scouts believe Owings' value is less than the sum of his parts, as they question his feel for hitting and peg him to move to second base as a pro, rather than remain at shortstop. While he might be a better value in the fifth round, he's not expected to last that long.