As far as I'm concerned, Rougned Odor is the Texas Rangers' second baseman of the future, with all apologies to former super prospect Jurickson Profar.
He was a blast to watch last season, playing well above where he should've been as a 20-year-old who should've probably played the entire season at Double-A but was called up due to a lack of production from veterans at second base. He ended up quickly winning the starting job, where he played basically all season and showed the Rangers that there is life beyond Jurickson Profar when it comes to young second basemen.
With Profar set to miss yet another full season, the job is Odor's in 2015, and on Saturday in an exhibition against the Los Angeles Dodgers in San Antonio, the young Odor showed his edge and how he isn't going to back down from anyone, at any time.
Odor was struck out by veteran pitcher Juan Niscasio to end the inning, and the pitcher showed Odor up a bit while leaving the mound. Odor didn't like it, and had some choice words for the pitcher as the home-plate umpire to hold Odor back and keep the two separated.
“I don’t know what he was thinking,’’ Odor told The Dallas Morning News. “But I’m not going to let anybody do that."
You don't always endorse dust-ups and fighting in baseball, but you have to love that type of edge from such a young player, and you have to love Odor.
