Rough start earns Rougned Odor a Texas Rangers demotion
By Tim Haberin
The Texas Rangers were hoping to see much more out of 21-year-old second baseman Rougned Odor this season. They still might but it will have to wait, as the team demoted the struggling youngster to Triple-A Round Rock yesterday. Odor was doing very little to justify his spot in the everyday lineup; in 29 games he hit for a miserable .144/.252/.233 slash line, managing a single home run and nine RBI.
It’s a significant opportunity squandered for Odor, whose role became all the more important after top prospect Jurickson Profar required season-ending shoulder surgery in February. Odor received a major league call-up in May of last season under similar circumstances. Injuries to several players including Profar led to roster shuffling, compelling the Rangers to give the young Odor a look.
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Odor was playing for Double-A Frisco at the time, making the promotion a sizeable leap. (His recent downgrade will actually signal his first time playing at the Triple-A level.) He performed surprisingly well after his expedited rise, making his monstrous struggles this season all the more disappointing. Odor did not appear overmatched by MLB competition by any means. In 114 games he put up a .259/.297/.402 line while swatting nine homers and driving in 48 runs. The future looked bright for the infielder barely into his 20s, prompting some to identify him as a breakout candidate entering 2015.
Those types of claims are a much harder sell now, due in large part to Odor’s muddled approach at the plate. Though not quite apt to draw many walks last year (see sub-.300 OBP), Odor’s discipline at the dish in 2015 has been virtually nonexistent. He struck out in 17% of his plate appearances in 2014. This year, that figure has climbed to 24% in 90 PAs. Odor has been easy prey for pitches outside of the strike zone. As highlighted by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Odor is swinging at 12% more pitches out of the zone than last year and is missing 40% of them. Shockingly, his batting average on balls in the strike zone (.130) is actually worse than his overall average (.144).
All things considered, the move is a needed one for both parties. The Rangers are currently 14-18, six games back in the American League West and four games out of a Wild Card spot. With Odor struggling so mightily, they need to start getting more production out of his lineup spot. For now, fresh call-up Thomas Field and utility man Adam Rosales will likely split time at second base. And for Odor, returning to the minor leagues (and playing at a level he has never experienced, no less) could be just what the doctor ordered. He will be able to clear his head away from the Arlington lights, re-focus and fix his swing.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers remain optimistic that this is only a bump in the road for their young infielder. “He is and will be part of the winning formula here,” says manager Jeff Banister. “It’s time for him to go down and get back to the type of player that got him here: Gritty, gutty, tough at-bats.” Though many, surely including Odor himself, hoped he would immediately start building on last year’s success, this setback should not be completely unexpected. Just 21 years old, Odor still has a long way to go in terms of his baseball development. He will be back with his big league club at some point. How soon that occurs is primarily up to him.