Texas Rangers: The good, the bad and the ugly from the 2019 season

The Ugly

Rougned Odor All Season Except September

To say Rougned Odor struggled this season would be a major understatement. The Rangers 25-year old second baseman had a season to forget and has created a problem for Texas and frustration among fans. Since being given a hefty 6-year, $49.5 million extension back in 2017, Odor has struggled to produce at even a league average clip. His 2017 season was a disaster that saw him hit .204 with a .649 OPS in 162 games. The next year got off to a similar start although a hot August and September helped him finish with a respectable .253 average and .751 OPS at the plate. However, 2019 was reminiscent of 2017 with Rougie unable to get anything going at the plate for the majority of the season.

Odor finished the year hitting .205 with a .721 OPS despite spending the majority of the year hitting under .200. Fans called for his replacement throughout the year and his spot as the everyday second baseman looked to be slipping away rapidly until a fantastic month of September helped him build some momentum to close of the year. In the last month of the season, Odor hit .261 with a .985 OPS and nine homers. He was also named the team’s Player of the Month for September.

There’s no question Rougie is talented. In fact, a few years ago I asserted that he was the most talented player the Rangers had and had AL MVP potential. Obviously not one of my best takes to this point. However, I still stand by my assertion that he’s immensely talented. But we’re now at the point where two and a half of the past three seasons he’s been a liability offensively. This upcoming year feels like a last shot for Odor. And the leash will be short. If he produces all year like he did in September, he’s an All-Star caliber second baseman, but without that, the Rangers have a large chunk of money tied up in starter who is producing below replacement level. That’s pretty ugly.