These five Texas Rangers could unseat Rougned Odor, either in 2021 or down the road
Let’s be honest here.
Some Texas Rangers fans don’t even try to hide their disdain when second baseman Rougned Odor shows signs of coming out of his four-year slump, taking to social media, texts and email to cast doubt on it all.
They have a long track record to back them up.
Odor hit a home run in all three weekend games he played, driving in eight and helping the last-place Rangers split their four-game series with the first-place Oakland A’s.
The performance came after he was told he would have to earn his playing time the rest of the season, presumably because he hasn’t played well enough and the Rangers need to evaluate players who could very well take his job.
Typically, a struggling player showing signs of life is a good thing, but Rangers’ fans have seen this from Odor before and they don’t care for the way it has gone in the past.
They say they won’t be fooled again, and are hoping the team’s decision-makers won’t be either.
Rangers brass has said the right things. Odor, 26, has to be better. His contract, which has two years and $24.66 million left on it, isn’t a factor in how much he plays.
Even after his sixth-inning three-run homer Sunday was the telling blow in a 6-3 victory, manager Chris Woodward said he wants to see more in the other at-bats.
The three homers are Odor’s only hits in 17 at-bats since being reinstated from the injured list Wednesday.
Others have played second base this season and allegedly will over the Rangers’ final 13 games. They were off Monday before embarking on 2020’s final road trip, a nine-game, three-city swing to Houston, Anaheim and Phoenix.
Despite Odor starting in five of his first six games off the IL, second base is unsettled for 2021 and beyond. There are five candidate who might unseat him in the likelihood he slides again, or if the Rangers decide it’s time to move on without him.
Nick Solak
This seems to be the cleanest and quickest move. Solak played second base throughout the minors and only this season has he played more outfield and infield. Woodward believes Solak’s best position is left field.
But that doesn’t mean Solak is a hack at second base. He has been steadier there than Odor, who leads the team with four errors. Solak has also been a better base runner.
Solak has locked down a place in the Rangers’ lineup for 2021, and playing second base full time is a possibility.
Anderson Tejeda
Tejeda’s future is at shortstop, it appears, but he has played plenty of second base while Odor has dealt with various injuries this season.
Tejada is likely to start 2021 in the minors, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, but he’s being given a chance to grasp what it takes to play every day in the majors.
Tejeda’s arm strength would be an upgrade at second base, especially when turning double plays. The bat needs more seasoning, but there’s pop in there from both sides.
Justin Foscue
One immediate thought after Foscue was selected by the Rangers in the first round (14th overall) of this year’s draft is that he would be replacing Odor at some point.
He was one of the draft’s most polished hitters after three seasons at Mississippi State, and the Rangers believe he will be an average defensive player. That’s not a bad thing, by the way.
With the minor-league season nixed because of COVID-19, the Rangers didn’t get a chance to see Foscue in games and he might start at a lower level in the minors in 2021 than he would have had he been able to make his professional debut this season. Because of that, his ETA on getting to the majors might not come until late in 2022 or early 2023.
Davis Wendzel
Selected 41st overall in the 2019 draft, Wendzel was drafted as a third baseman but he can play multiple positions. His versatility is one of reasons the Rangers grabbed him, but he can hit, too.
He has played second base and might be forced that way with prospects Sherten Apostel and Josh Jung, selected eighth overall in 2019, also playing third base.
Maybe they’ll get pushed elsewhere because of how well Isiah Kiner-Falefa plays defense at the hot corner. Wendzel, though, shouldn’t get lost in the conversations about the future of the Rangers’ infield.
Elvis Andrus
Not many players end up sticking at one position their entire career, but Andrus has never been anything but a shortstop.
This season won’t serve as a fair representation of his range, as he has battled a back injury all season. But it’s been clear in recent healthier seasons that he’s not 21 anymore.
The topic of a position switch was broached Sunday with Woodward, who said Andrus, 32, is athletic enough to move to second base. With all the shifts the Rangers use these days, he makes plenty of plays on that side of the diamond already.
A position switch might be a long shot. Odor not being with the Rangers in 2021 might be a long shot. Second base, though, appears to be unsettled.
