Rougned Odor is 20 years old, is getting his first swim through the big leagues — not by design, but by necessity — and is setting the baseball world ablaze with his energetic play and his hot hitting.
Sound familiar?
Just a couple of years ago, Jurickson Profar was that player for the Texas Rangers as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, but Profar was missing a key piece of that equation. He was missing the part about that whole "success" thing.
Odor is having success with the Rangers, even though he's the youngest player in Major League Baseball, and it just so happens he plays the same position as Profar, who is in the midst of a lost season at age 21 thanks to an unforunate injury.
Ever heard of Wally Pipp? Lou Gehrig? Sure you have, and you know the story of Gehrig winning a job with the Yankees after Pipp had to sit out. See where we're going here?
It's far too early to say Odor is the Rangers' second baseman of the future. They sent Ian Kinsler to Detroit with the idea that they had their second baseman of the future waiting in the wings, but it wasn't Odor, it was Profar.
In his first 44 at-bats, Odor is hitting .295 with a .788 OPS, a double, two triples, a homer and seven RBIs in 14 games. He's getting the job done.
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Profar didn't when he had his chance. Last season as basically a half-timer, Profar hit .234 with a .644 OPS, 11 doubles, six homers and 26 RBIs while being used not ideally as a utility infielder.
There's no question Odor's sample size so far isn't large enough to make an accurate assessment on, but so far, so good for the 20-year-old second baseman.
Look out, Jurickson Profar. You might get Wally Pipped.
