Micah Owings heads for Arizona on Monday hoping to create a different position for himself in baseball.

The 29-year-old wants to become a ‘position player/pitcher.”

“I’m not giving pitching up,” Owings said Saturday afternoon after taking batting practice at Petco Park. “But I see myself in the future as being a position player first and a pitcher second.

“I really want to see what I can do. I have an idea. I think it would maybe take some creativity for a team to accept it. But if it worked, it might create an entirely new position in baseball ... a position that would give a team an extra player.”


Baseball history has notable cases of pitchers becoming position players (most recently Rick Ankiel, Joe Nathan and Brian Bogusevic) and position players becoming pitchers (most recently catchers-turned-relief pitchers Kenley Jansen and Jason Motte).

But far fewer players have done both at the same time — the most notable being Babe Ruth and the most recent being Brooks Kieschnick.

The Padres have given Owings permission to pursue his idea. He will report to the club’s year-round training facility in Peoria, Ariz., Monday for a training session before reporting to Triple-A Tucson Thursday.

He will play first base and left field for the T-Padres as well as spend some games as the designated hitter. Owings, who has been on the disabled list since April 26 with a right forearm strain, is not expected to pitch again this season.


Owings was considered one of the best hitting pitchers in the major leagues. He has a career batting average of .283 with 14 doubles, two triples, nine homers and 35 RBI in 203 at-bats. He has a .313 on-base percentage and a .507 slugging percentage.

Owings was employed as a pinch-hitter during his time with Arizona and Cincinnati and the Diamondbacks once considered using him on non-pitching days as a first baseman. He hit .333 with Arizona in 2007 with four homers and 15 RBI in 60 at-bats and .259 with the Reds in 2009 with three homers and 10 RBI in 54 at-bats.

As a pitcher, Owings has a 32-33 career record with a 4.86 ERA in 138 appearances (68 starts).

The Padres signed Owings to a one-year, $1 million contract last Feb. 2 to either be their fifth starter or the long-man in the bullpen. He opened the season in the bullpen and was 0-2 with a 2.79 earned run average in six appearances over 19 games when he suffered the forearm strain.


Just before he was injured, the Padres — who had already lost starting pitchers Tim Stauffer and Dustin Moseley to the disabled list — were considering moving Owings into the rotation because of injuries.

Owings said his injury had nothing to do with his decision, although it speeded up the process.

“I have thought about this transition for a long time,” said Owings. “It has always been in the back of my head because I can hit. I want to further develop this side of my game.”

Owings said he decided to do it now after again feeling pain June 23 as he was warming up for his first rehab appearance with Tucson. “I knew it would be a while before I could pitch again,” he said.


“He is highly motivated to do this,” said Padres manager Bud Black. “All I know is that he doesn’t feel well enough to pitch.”

Stults to Tucson

Left-handed starter Eric Stults, who has been on the disabled list since June 4 with one of three latissimus dorsi strains suffered by Padres pitchers this season — those to Huston Street and Andrew Cashner drawing more attention — threw 48 pitches in a simulated game at Petco Park Saturday.

Stults will make the first of at least two rehab starts with Tucson Thursday.


“He looked okay, a little rusty,” Black said of Stults. “Now it’s a matter of regaining arm strength.

Notable

• Chase Headley extended his current hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning double. It equals the longest streak by a Padres this season (joining Chris Denorfia) and is one of five hitting streaks of seven games of more by Headley this season.

• Alexi Amarista’s nine-game hitting streak ended Friday night.


• Actor Charlie Sheen threw the ceremonial first pitch Saturday night.

• Third-base coach Glenn Hoffman turned 54 Saturday.