Did the punch knock down Rougned Odor’s career trajectory?
In retrospect, the punch had more to do with what we hoped would happen.
When Rougned Odor’s right fist landed on Jose Bautista’s face near second base on May 15, 2016, it blew up across North America.
That’s thanks to then Star-Telegram photographer Richard Rodriguez, who nailed the moment with a dramatic image that showed Bautista’s helmet flying off in one direction and his sunglasses in another.
Toronto Blue Jays fans were outraged. Texas Rangers fans (at least most) were thrilled.
Odor, who was 22 at the time, was the young, fiery, up-and-coming slugger Rangers fans were salivating over with the thought of him anchoring the right side of the Texas’ infield.
Here’s a refresher on the incident: The Rangers scored four runs in the 7th to take a 7-6 lead during a Sunday afterno
Odor was suspended seven games after an appeal.
Three years later, however, Bautista is out of the game and Odor’s career is teetering precariously. 2016 remains Odor’s best season. He finished batting .271 with 33 homers, 33 doubles and 88 RBIs — all career highs.
But in fact, Odor has struggled at the plate since the punch.
Before his moment with Bautista, Odor hit .264 with 32 homers and 130 RBIs in 272 games.
Since the punch, Odor is hitting .111 with 102 homers and 291 RBIs in 544 games. His homers and RBIs are just a tick better per game since the punch, but his on-base percentage and batting average are markedly worse.
In ‘16, in fact, Odor was hitting .286 with a .313 on-base percentage and seven home runs in 38 games. After the punch, he hit .266 with a .290 OBP and 26 home runs.
Was this moment a turning point in Odor’s career, which was seemingly headed in the right direction? That may never be fully known.
But it remains one of the most memorable moments at Globe Life Park. And Odor is still booed heavily in Toronto.
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
