Texas Rangers Rougned Odor Joins Select Group of Young Sluggers
Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor hit his 30th home run on Monday and joined an impressive group of active players with seasons of 30 or more home runs at the age of 22 or younger.
The second baseman on the Texas Rangers, Rougned Odor, has had an interesting season. Many casual fans likely remember “The Punch,” when Odor slugged Toronto’s Jose Bautista after a hard slide into second base. More avid baseball fans may remember when Jason Kipnis recently poked fun at Odor after Odor slid hard into second. As Odor got up, Kipnis put his hands up in self-defense and cautiously backed away. Adrian Beltre loved every minute of it.
If you haven’t been paying attention to Odor since “the punch” on May 15, you’re missing a good show. Odor just hit his 30th home run of the year, putting him in elite company among active players. Odor is 22-years-old. Since the 2000 season, there have been just six players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season when they were 22 years old or younger. This group of players includes two players well on their way to Hall of Fame careers, one of the most powerful sluggers in baseball, and three young players who are among the best in the game.
One thing that sets Odor apart from this group is that he is the only player on this list who has exclusively played a middle infield position. In fact, Odor’s 30 home runs is the most ever in a single season for a player under 23-years-old whose primary position is second base. Baseball fans haven’t seen a 22-year-old second baseman display this kind of home run power before.
Here are the sluggers since 2000 who have hit 30 home runs in a season at the age of 22 or younger.
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