Rougned Odor

Rougned Roberto Odor (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈruɣneð oˈðoɾ]) (born February 3, 1994), nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the team's minor league affiliates from 2011 until he was called up to the MLB team in 2014.

Rougned Odor
Odor with the Rangers in 2016
Texas Rangers – No. 12
Second baseman
Born: (1994-02-03) February 3, 1994
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 8, 2014, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.237
Home runs146
Runs batted in458
Stolen bases62
Teams

Early life and family

Odor was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela on February 3, 1994.[1] His first name is a combination of his grandfather's name, Douglas, and his grandmother's name, Nedia; in keeping with the family custom of giving boys names that begin with the letter "R", the "D" in Douglas was changed to an "R", yielding Rougned.[2]

His father, also named Rougned, played college baseball for the University of New Orleans.[3] He has a sister[4] and a younger brother, Rougned José Odor,[5] who signed with the Texas Rangers organization on February 19, 2015.[6] His uncle, Rouglas, played for eight seasons in Minor League Baseball for the Cleveland and Milwaukee Brewers organizations,[4][7] and is now a manager with the Akron RubberDucks.[8] Three of his uncles on his mother's side played baseball. All three played for the Aguilas de Zulia in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, while Eduardo Zambrano also played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs.[3]

Though raised in Maracaibo, he also visited his mother's family in the country during weekends. He spent time around horses, and he enjoys toros coleados, a sport involving horses.[9]

Odor began playing baseball at the age of two.[3] He played in the 2009 World Youth Baseball Championship. He was named to the tournament's all-star team as a second baseman.[10]

Professional career

Minor leagues

Odor signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent in 2011, receiving a $425,000 signing bonus.[8] The Rangers aggressively assigned him to the Spokane Indians of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. He was the youngest player in the Northwest League, and had a .262 batting average on the season.[11] Odor was suspended for four games after starting a brawl during a game with the Vancouver Canadians.[12] In 2012, Odor batted .259 with the Hickory Crawdads of the Class A South Atlantic League.[11]

Odor began the 2013 season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League, where he had a .303 batting average in 99 games played.[1][13] In August 2013, Odor was promoted to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Class AA Texas League.[14] Odor's emergence with the Rangers allowed them to trade utility infielder Leury Garcia to the Chicago White Sox for all-star right fielder Alex Rios that month.[13] He finished the season with a .305 batting average with 41 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, and 78 runs batted in in 130 games for Myrtle Beach and Frisco. The Rangers named Odor their minor league player of the year.[15]

The Rangers invited Odor to spring training in 2014.[15] He began the year with Frisco.[16][17]

2014
Odor with the Texas Rangers in 2014

The Rangers promoted Odor to the major leagues on May 8, 2014.[17] On May 12, against Houston Astros pitcher Brad Peacock, Odor hit a single for his first major league hit.[18] He hit his first grand slam on August 27, in a 12-4 decision against the Seattle Mariners. Odor was the youngest player in the MLB during his rookie season and helped the Rangers' second base problem even though they finished 67-95, the third-worst record in baseball that year.

He finished the year hitting a .259 batting average, 39 runs, 14 doubles, 9 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and 48 RBIs in 386 at bats over 110 games.[19] He was the youngest player in the American League, was 8th in the league in triples (7), and was 10th in caught stealing (7).[20]

2015

Odor began 2015 as the Rangers' starting second baseman, but he struggled mightily, hitting .144 with one home run, 9 RBIs, and 25 strikeouts to go with seven walks in 29 games. He was optioned to the Round Rock Express of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League on May 11.[21] However, upon his demotion, Odor found his stroke, beating up Triple-A pitching to a .352/.426/.639 slash with five home runs, 19 RBIs, and only 10 strikeouts to 12 walks in roughly the same number of appearances. On June 15, following an injury to Delino DeShields Jr.,[22] Odor was recalled to the Rangers, and in his return, promptly went 3-3 with 2 RBI against the Dodgers. Rougned proceeded to hit very hot in the month of June, hitting .391 with two home runs and 9 RBIs and hit .319 with five home runs and 16 RBI in July.[23]

He ended the regular season hitting .261, with 16 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 54 runs scored.[24] He led all AL second basemen in errors, with 17.[20]

2016

On May 15, 2016, Odor started another on-field brawl by punching Jose Bautista in the face during the eighth inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, after Bautista slid into Odor at second base during a double play. Odor first pushed and then swung at Bautista, hitting him squarely in the face.[25] There is much speculation that this incident spilled over from the bad blood that resulted from Game 5 of 2015's American League Division Series between the Rangers and the Blue Jays, a game that included Blue Jays fans throwing trash onto the field and Bautista flipping his bat emphatically after hitting the Blue Jays' go-ahead home run.[25][26] Odor received an eight-game suspension from MLB two days later for his actions that resulted in the brawl.[27] After an appeal, Odor's suspension was revised, eventually finalized at seven games.[28]

In 150 games, Odor finished the year with a .271 batting average, 33 home runs, 33 doubles, and 88 RBI. He walked in 3.0% of his at bats, the lowest percentage in the major leagues, and had the lowest walks-per-strikeout ratio in the majors (0.14).[29] He saw the highest percentage of curveballs of all MLB hitters (16.0%).[30] He led all AL second basemen in errors, with 22.[20]

On October 9, Odor was charged with a throwing error which allowed the Toronto Blue Jays to score the winning run in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the ALDS, thus eliminating the Rangers despite holding the best record in the AL in 2016.

2017

Before the 2017 season, Odor played for the Venezuelan national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[31] On March 25, Odor signed a six-year extension worth $49.5 million. The deal was finalized on March 30.[32] In the Rangers' season opener against the Cleveland Indians, Odor hit two home runs in his first two at-bats of the season.[33]

For the 2017 season, he batted .204/.252/.397, had the lowest on base percentage of all qualified major league batters, and had the lowest batting average on balls in play (.224) of all major league players.[34] For the third consecutive season he led all AL second basemen in errors, with 19.[20]

2018

In 2018, he batted .253/.326/.424 with 18 home runs and 63 RBI.[20] He stole 12 bases, but led the American League in caught stealing, with 12.[20]

2019

In 2019, he batted .205/.283/.439/.721 with 30 home runs and 93 RBIs.[20][35] He led the American League with 178 strikeouts.[20] In 2019, on defense he led all American League second basemen in errors, with 15.[36]

Personal life

As part of the contract Odor signed in 2017, Rangers owner Ray Davis included a pair of quarter horses. Odor plans to build a ranch in the North Texas area, so that his family can move from Venezuela.[37] These are the seventh and eighth horses Odor owns.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Diario La Verdad - El zuliano Rougned Odor impacta en Doble A". Laverdad.com. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  2. Rivera, Marly (June 16, 2016). "Odor: 'Perhaps he was wrong, and perhaps I was also wrong'". ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  3. Sullivan, T.R. (October 11, 2015). "Odor hails from true baseball family. Stomping Grounds: Second baseman learned to love the game in Venezuela". MLB.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  4. Raynor, Grace. "Odor living the dream every day in the Majors". MLB.com. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  5. "Rougned José Odor stats". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  6. Brisbee, Grant (February 19, 2015). "Rougned Odor has a brother named Rougned Odor, and both Rougneds Odor are on the Rangers. Odor inow". sbnation.com. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  7. Brown, Dave (February 19, 2015). "Oddity: Rangers sign Rougned Odor's brother Rougned Odor". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  8. Evan Drellich. "Rangers agree to deal with shortstop Odor | texasrangers.com: News". Texas.rangers.mlb.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  9. Nusbaum, Eric (April 4, 2017). "12 Rounds with Rougned Odor, the Toughest Player in Baseball". Vice Sports. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  10. Sedgman, Cassandra (August 24, 2009). "Guy Edmunds named in AA World All-Star Team". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  11. SportsDayDFW.com. "Rangers prospect primer: 2B Rougned Odor rising quickly through Texas' system | Dallasnews.com - News for Dallas, Texas - SportsDayDFW". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  12. LS Sires (July 13, 2011). "Brutal Baseball Brawl- 51 Fines and Six Suspensions". 929 The Bull. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  13. "Odor's rise makes Garcia expendable | texasrangers.com: News". Texas.rangers.mlb.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  14. Wills, Todd. "Minors: Sardinas, Odor promoted to Frisco - Dallas Texas Rangers Blog - ESPN Dallas". Espn.go.com. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  15. Grant, Evan (February 3, 2014). "Texas Rangers will bring second base prodigy Rougned Odor to big league spring training". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  16. "Texas Rangers: Top prospects Rougned Odor, Luis Sardinas continue organizational climb together, land in Frisco | SportsDay". Sportsday.dallasnews.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  17. Jaffe, Jay. "Rangers hope prospect Rougned Odor can improve stinking offense".
  18. Jaffe, Jay (May 13, 2014). "Rangers rookie Rougned Odor hits first MLB homer, fields ball with his jersey vs. Astros". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  19. Wilson, Jeff (August 27, 2014). "Odor's slam lifts Rangers to rout of Seattle". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  20. Rougned Odor Stats | Baseball-Reference.com
  21. Jennings, Randy (May 11, 2015). "Struggling Rougned Odor optioned to Round Rock". ESPN.com.
  22. Grant, Evan (June 15, 2015). "Rougned Odor returns, Joey Gallo moves to left for Texas Rangers". Dallas Morning-News. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015.
  23. d'Oliveira, Sean (June 15, 2015). "Rangers 2B Rougned Odor collects three hits in Monday's win". CBS Sports.
  24. "Rougned Odor Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  25. "Rougned Odor punches Jose Bautista in face to start brawl". ESPN. May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  26. Nightengale, Bob (May 17, 2016). "Rougned Odor suspended eight games for punching Jose Bautista". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  27. "Rougned Odor of Texas Rangers suspended 8 games for punching Toronto Blue Jays' Jose Bautista". Espn.go.com. May 18, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  28. T.R. Sullivan (January 20, 2016). "Rougned Odor's suspension reduced to 7 games | MLB.com". M.mlb.com. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  29. Major League Leaderboards » 2016 » Batters » Advanced Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  30. Major League Leaderboards » 2016 » Batters » Pitch Type Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  31. "Venezuela advance in World Baseball Classic behind Miguel Cabrera, Rougned Odor". Espn.com. March 14, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  32. Trezza, Joe. "Rangers, Odor announce 6-year deal". MLB. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  33. USA TODAY Sports. "Rangers' Rougned Odor joins exclusive home run club". Usatoday.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  34. Major League Leaderboards » 2017 » Batters » Advanced Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  36. "2019 Major League Baseball Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  37. "Texas Rangers: Horsing around: How two horses helped the Rangers seal a 6-year deal with Rougned Odor | SportsDay". dallasnews.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
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