The Texas Rangers are struggling when it comes to hitting and are becoming among the worst in Major League Baseball. Rougned Odor is among one of the players who is struggling this season and has statistically dreadful record. Odor has the league's worst batting average and on-base percentage. He owns the fourth worst slugging percentage and the second worst OPS in Major League Baseball.
The veteran second baseman is narrowly hitting below Chris Davis' record low batting average from the 2018 season. Davis recorded his awful batting average over a full season. This means that Odor still has plenty of time to improve and distance himself from that BA. Critics believe it's highly unlikely that he will. MLB insiders believe Odor's season will conclude very soon, as he is expected to be sent to the minors as soon as Willie Calhoun returns from injury within the next two weeks.
Roguned Odor still has power but continues to struggle
While Odor has some moments of power, he still struggles against pitchers.
Some moments he will hit the long ball, but then fall into a slump the next day. The Texas Rangers are two months into the regular season and Odor has recorded 182 at-bats. Odor is not the only player to be performing below expectations.Two other players include St. Louis' Matt Carpenter and Cleveland's Jose Ramirez. However, nobody is struggling as much as Odor. Fans are left wondering why he's struggling so much.
Odor is struggling against pitchers and their fastball. He's hit a low .136 against the fastball. This makes trouble for the Rangers as a team. Odor was once a strong hitter in 2016 when he hit 33 home runs with a .271 batting average. This led to the Rangers front office to offer him a $49.5 million, 6-year deal.
That season he recorded a .295 against the fastball. He was once a strong hitter when it came to the fastball. This lead to opposing pitchers to throw it less than half the time. Given his struggles, Odor has seen an increase in fastball pitches, specifically half the time he steps to the plate.
Rougned Odor struggles to connect with multiple pitch types
He's also struggling when it comes to other pitches as well. He has a .167 against the sliders, a .125 against curveballs. His only strongest performance comes against the sinker. He currently hits a .313 against the sinker. A majority of Odor at-bats sees high and low fastballs. This creates a hole for the Rangers batting order.
Critics have spoken out about Odor's poor performances.
He's become known for not using the bat's knob for support, which would have extended his swing. He's also known for his excessive leg kick. The minds of Chris Woodward and Luis Ortiz are hoping to be able to get Odor fixed.
Every hitter has their own way of delivering, but Odor's has failed this season. If he fails to find his old self, he may find himself back in the minor leagues.