All Eyes on Rougie vs Solak This Offseason

2020 opened some eyes in the front office, and seeing Rougned Odor continue to be a below-average major league baseball player is on their mind.

This being said, second base looks to be up for grabs on this team with such poor play this season.

Everyone knows the story of Rougie Odor, having watched him burst onto the scene with great power and a strong presence in the lineup. He has that fiery attitude and style of play that can quickly change the momentum of a game for the better. Fast forward to a multi-year contract worth almost $50 million along with the punch heard around the world.

He quickly became a fan favorite, but has he lived up to his contract? Not even close and Ranger fans are sick of the lack of production.

Since 2017, Odor has a .215 batting average, hitting over .250 just once in that span. He also has 514 strikeouts in that same span, leading the league in 2019 with 178 strikeouts. Not only has he become a liability in the batting order, but his defense also has never been great either.

On Odor, Woodward said this:

“Obviously Rougie has is got to earn his playing time. He hasn’t been consistent for the last couple of years. That’s one thing I’ve stressed to him; I want him consistent on both sides of the ball… but he’s also going to have to move around a bit, not just only playing second base. Maybe third base, maybe even a little bit of outfield, whatever he’s open to.”

Nick Solak has become a name that has been thrown around to get more playing time at second base, as he’s one of the players to take big strides in a horrid 2020 season for Texas. This season he hit .268 at the plate, down from .293 in 2019, but he also played in 25 more games this year proving he is an everyday player for this team. Some say he has a Michael Young feel to his demeanor and style of play.

He has been asked to play left and center field, third base, and second base in his career so far, but coming up in Tampa Bay’s farm system he was primarily a second baseman, starting up what seems to be a very interesting position battle.

This year he played 17 of 58 games at second base, starting 16 at the position. Obviously, Woodward feels comfortable with Solak at second base, putting Odor’s job in jeopardy.

“Rougie’s in a little bit more of a competition with Nick Solak. I informed Nick that I want him to solely focus on second base. I want to see what he could do, how he looks,” Woodward said about Solak.

“Last two years we’ve asked Nick Solak to kind of move around to play center field, to play third base, play second base. I think his best position is second base, so I think we have a pretty healthy competition.”

Chris Woodward is heading into the final season of his contract, and even though he has an option for 2022, it seems as though he needs to be as successful as possible if he wants to continue to manage in Texas.

Only time will tell with this team if he’ll do enough to stay in town.