Nolan Writin'
Fansided

Texas Rangers: Which member of the 25-and-under club has the highest ceiling?

By Travis Koch

ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 05: Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers watches the ball on a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game agaisnt the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 5, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 05: Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers watches the ball on a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game agaisnt the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 5, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Texas Rangers
ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 30: Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers makes the throw to first base for the final out of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 30, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /

Rougned Odor

Five years into his major league career and it’s still tough to set expectations for Odor. He can be one of the least productive hitters in baseball or one of the toughest outs in baseball. Unfortunately, his performances have weighed towards the former more often than the latter in his career.

The 2018 season was a microcosm of his first five. He got off to a miserable start on the year, hitting .206 in April and .203 in May. The low statistic of April was his .265 SLG%. The low statistic of May was his .225 OBP. He failed to post an OPS over .600 in the first two months and amounted just one home run.

More from Texas Rangers News

But, like the spark of a fire, Odor turned things around come June, and he was white-hot in July. He slashed .259/.354/.412 in June with three homers. In July, he slashed an insane .341/.410/.625. His OPS was a 1.035! That’s Mike Trout territory.

There was a noticeable difference in plate discipline. His 35.4 chase% was his lowest since 2015 (35.1%). He swung at the fewest percentage of pitches in his career (47.6%) and made contact at his highest rate since 2015.

The June-August version of Rougned Odor would make him one of the top 2B in major league baseball. On the other hand, the April/May version would make him one of the worst hitters in major league baseball.

He was recognized as MLB Player of the Week twice last season. He was also a finalist in Gold Glove nominations.

Odor has a ton of talent. He just needs to put it all together for a year. His ceiling is very high, and the good news is he’s only 23 years old.

Home/Texas Rangers News