Texas Rangers: Is Rougned Odor’s Slow Start A Problem?

The Rangers just completed a four game sweep of the Kansas City Royals. The bad news is the bats have gone missing, and recently extended Rougned Odor is not seeing the ball well right now.

The good news is the Texas Rangers are starting to pile up the wins, but sadly they can’t hit anything right now. The offense has gone ice-cold and without third baseman Adrian Beltre, the Rangers desperately need Rougned Odor’s bat.

The Rangers and Odor recently finalized a contract extension that is six years for $49.5M, which keeps him under contract through the 2022 season. There is also a team option for 2023, which means Odor isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

This season Odor is hitting .187 with three home runs and eight RBI through 19 games. He’s never been a player to draw walks, so his three walks to 15 strikeouts ratio isn’t too surprising. It’s early in the season, but the Rangers expected more from Odor.

Last season Odor had a breakout season, hitting .271 with 33 home runs and 88 RBI with 14 stolen bases in 150 games. Heading into 2017, the Rangers expected this to be a consistent trend for Odor.

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The absence of Beltre has not helped the Rangers offense, and possibly has put too much pressure on Odor. It’s been tough all around for many of the Texas hitters. Heading into Monday’s game the Rangers have just three players hitting over .240 this season.

It’s been hard to watch, but Odor’s lack of production has to be a bit concerning. The fact he doesn’t draw walks means you expect him to put the ball in play. It’s still early, but the Rangers desperately need Beltre back and Odor to step up.