Saturday marked the six-year anniversary of Rougned Odor’s right hand meeting Jose Bautista’s jaw in a fight that put all other MLB fights to shame. There had never been a cleaner punch in baseball, and it put Odor in the national spotlight.
The game that was the highlight of Odor’s career also marked the beginning of his fall from grace.
Prior to the brawl in 2017, Odor was making a name for himself on the Rangers. 2016 marked the best year of his career. He posted a .271 batting average along with a .798 OPS. He brought a swagger and intensity to the field to a Rangers team that was in the fight for a wild card spot.
His play solidified his future as the Rangers starting second baseman and earned him a six-year contract that included $49.5 million and two horses. The horses were an extra treat for Odor who outside of baseball is an avid rancher.
Odor celebrated his new contract with a season that began habits that would follow him the rest of his career.
His offensive output in 2017 began to stray from his usual play as a second baseman, getting hits and on base, and began to mimic his teammate Joey Gallo, hit a home run and jog around the bases. With his new approach he hit the most homeruns of his career, but along with the increase in home runs was an increase in strikeouts.
His approach at the plate was the same but his attitude remained the same. Shortly the fire he played with couldn’t be backed up with the output on the field. In the 2017 world baseball classic he bats flipped and walked halfway to first on a deep drive to center field that ended up not leaving the ballpark. His swagger held him to a single.
By 2019 he was paid over $7 million and led the league in strikeouts. His batting average dropped to .205 and posted a -0.3 WAR, a stat that measures a player’s value to a team. On the other hand, he hit 30 home runs and was responsible for 93 runs.
The Rangers were already on the fence about Odor’s offensive production. His defense wasn’t helping his case. In 2019 he led the AL in errors for all second baseman. This comes after leading the AL in errors in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The shortened 2020 COVID season saw even less production offensively. The Texas Rangers publication www.nolanwritin.com named Odor as statistically the worst offensive player in baseball.
After the 2020 season the Rangers had seen enough and traded Odor to the Yankees prior to the 2021 season in what was called a “strictly baseball move” by manager Chris Woodward. He was traded for two minor leaguers and cash considerations. They absorbed the rest of his contract.
Odor went to the Bronx with a new, shaved look and the same approach at the plate. He didn’t last long in pinstripes.
Before the 2022 season Odor signed with the Baltimore Orioles on a year-long major league contract. He’s hitting .196 and nearly averaging a strikeout a game. He already has five errors.
It’s still early in the season, but history isn’t playing in Odor’s favor. His career is on a path to continuing to quietly fade away.
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