Active big leaguer heads to Japan’ Former teammate of Kim Ha-seong, who hit 178 home runs, agrees to a Yomiuri contract
Rougned Odor, who exchanged fists with Jose Bautista, a former Major League home run king, is wearing the Yomiuri Giants uniform of the Japanese professional baseball league, after cleaning up the bench and sharing a fist with Kim Ha-sung (San Diego Padres). Wear it.
Japan’s “Daily Sports” announced on the 20th (Korea Standard Time) that “The Yomiuri Giants have reached a contract agreement with Ruyad Odor, who has 178 home runs in the Major League.”
Odor is already well known to Korean fans. It appears whenever the worst bench-clearing in the Major League is mentioned, and he even got into a scuffle with Jose Bautista, the former ‘home run king,’ by exchanging punches on the ground. In addition, he ate with Kim Ha-sung in San Diego.
Odor made his big league debut with the Texas Rangers in 2014. Odor had a successful debut season with 100 hits, nine homers, 48 RBIs, a batting average of 0.259 and an OPS of 0.699, in 114 appearances. And the following year, he earned a major league starting position with a batting average of 0.261 and an OPS of 0.781 in 120 games, including 16 arches.
It was in his third year since debut that Odor’s talent exploded. Odor exploded with 33 home runs in 2016 and 30 home runs in the 2017 season, and he stayed with 18 home runs in 2018, but he recorded 30 home runs again in 2019. Odor continued his life as a “journey man” after working in Texas until the 2020 season, which was shortened by COVID-19. He teamed up with Kim Ha-sung with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, and played for San Diego last year.
Odor’s biggest advantage is his slugging capability. Odor has 178 home runs in total, including 30 home runs and three seasons in the Major League. However, if there is a fatal flaw, it means his accuracy is poor. Even when he hit 30 home runs, his overall batting average stood at 0.230, staying below .200 twice. As a result, he lost his footing in the Major League and contacted the Yomiuri Giants.
Japan’s Daily Sports said, “Coach Shinnosuke Abe joked that he wanted to recruit Otani,” adding, “However, not Otani, he increased the depth of his batting lineup by acquiring 178 home runs in the Major League.” Abe then expressed high expectations for Odor, saying, “I’m excited.”
“I didn’t recruit Ohtani, who holds the best title in the world, but Odor has ample experience and experience. His main position is second base, but he played in nine games as a right fielder in San Diego last year while playing for the Yomiuri Giants,” he added. “It fits well with the point of reinforcement. He is also a fighter nicknamed Mad Dog and his passionate fight on the ground to inspire his team through hustle play will resonate with fans.”
As a result, the Yomiuri Giants acquired an “active major leaguer” by recruiting Odor. It is not the first time that the Yomiuri Giants has recruited players who are active major leaguers. The Yomiuri Giants also recruited Gerardo Parra, who contributed greatly to the Washington Nationals’ win of the World Series (WS). However, as Parra has not been successful in Japan, it is uncertain whether Odor will be able to flourish there.
