Nationals Grant Micah Owings Release From AAA Syracuse

Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington reports that Micah Owings has opted out of his contract with the Nationals (via Twitter).

March 23, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; Washington Nationals Micah Owings (46) drives the ball off New York Mets relief pitcher Pedro Feliciano (55) (not pictured) spring training game at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Owings, who spent this season attempting to convert from pitcher to position player because of his impressive power, had spent this season at AAA Syracuse. In 57 games with the team, Owings hit .265 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs over 213 plate appearances. While he did slug .403, Owings showed that he still needs work on his plate discipline, as he struck out 35.5% of the time.

The fact that Owings opted out of his contract, as compared to being released by the team, indicates that he likely has a potential contract elsewhere already. His power is apparent, and perhaps a club views him as a super-utility man that can come off the bench and also throw some innings out of the bullpen. While Owings did not pitch this season, he holds a respectable 4.86 ERA in parts of six seasons.