It’s easy to dismiss Rougned Odor because of his interesting moniker. Although, he has begun to gain a lot more notoriety amongst the MLB faithful.
Hopes were high with Odor after a promising 2014 campaign. He went into the 2015 season as the Rangers starting second baseman. Unfortunately, he didn’t live up to the hefty expectations put on him, only managing a .144 batting average in 29 games. As a result, Odor was sent to the Rangers AAA affiliate to find himself, and he did just that.
The 21-year-old took full advantage of his time in the minors. He assaulted AAA pitching and produced a .352/.426/.639 slash line. Most look at a demotion as a time to throw in the towel, but Odor worked diligently to get himself back to Texas.
When he made his return to the lineup in mid-June, Odor got a chance to once again play a prominent role with the Rangers, and hasn’t looked back since. He increased his batting average from the putrid .144 to a more respectable .252, a full 108 points better than the mark he carried at the time of his demotion.
Odor needed to come back strong from his time in AAA. The Rangers are extremely thin at the minor league level, and lost former top infield prospect, Jurickson Profar, to season ending surgery. There weren’t very many options available at their disposal.
Texas desperately needed someone to step up and claim the starting second baseman job. Thankfully, Odor has shown signs of life, and while it might not have happened the way the Rangers envisioned it, they might have found their second baseman of the future.