The Padres signed Rougned Odor to a minor league contract in spring training, giving the veteran infielder an opportunity to compete for a bench job. A native of Venezuela, Odor signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent in 2011 and made his major league debut in 2014. He spent seven seasons with the Rangers before being traded to the New York Yankees in 2021 and g with the Baltimore Orioles the following year. Since ing the Padres, Odor has come through in several game-winning clutch situations. Teammates have lauded the edge with which he plays and his positive presence in the clubhouse and dugout.
Union-Tribune: What was it like growing up and playing baseball in Venezuela?
Odor: It’s a little different. I think in Venezuela we grow up playing like, really little. I started playing when I was 2, 3 years old. I think here they start playing when they’re a little older.
U-T: You come from a baseball family, right?
Odor: I have one uncle from my dad’s side that played professional baseball with Cleveland. He’s still coaching for the Cleveland (Guardians) as the manager in Double-A. Rouglas Odor. He played with Cleveland and he’s still working with Cleveland. And I have three more uncles from my mom’s side that played professional baseball with Boston. One player in the big leagues with the Cubs. They are all outfielders. Eduardo Zambrano, Roberto Zambrano and Jose Luis Zambrano.
U-T: You’re 29, but you made your major league debut when you were 20. What advice would you give your rookie self, knowing what you know now?
Odor: When I was a rookie, I used to play really hard. No matter how I feel, I was playing really hard. And now, I learned that when I don’t feel really good, I give 85, 90, 95 percent and my body feels better. When I was younger, I used to play every day the same way. Every play. So my body used to feel really sore after the game.
Padres’ Rougned Odor talks career, love of horses, family, his friendship w/ Tatis, the punch & more
U-T: Like, you learned when to pull it back to preserve yourself.
Odor: Because growing up, my dad always (taught) me how to play really hard. Hustling, because that’s the only thing that we can control in baseball. Run hard and give the best that you have for that day. He taught me, I don’t care if you strike out or hit a ground ball or pop up. But as soon as you hit the ball, I want you to run hard and keep doing that.
U-T: Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller scouted you in Venezuela when you were a teenager and he was with the Rangers. Did knowing him make coming here more comfortable?
Odor: One hundred percent yes. You know, I had a couple options. I picked this team because I love this city. We have a great team and I like to win. A.J. talked to me and he was honest with me and I say, ‘I want to go to San Diego.’
U-T: You grew up in the Rangers organization. Was it hard when you were traded to the Yankees?
Odor: It was tough. I played for so many years in Texas, I feel like that was my home. And to go to the Yankees, it was a little tough for me to play with another team that I don’t know nobody. … It’s kind of like when you change your school to another school. You gotta make new friends. You gotta get used to everybody. It was a little tough.
U-T: When you signed with the Rangers — man, I love this story — your contract included two horses. Two horses! Please explain.
Odor: We were talking about my contract. We were talking about getting a little bit more money. And they go up a little bit and close to what I want. I wanted a little bit more, but they were like, ‘This is what we have for you.’ And (Rangers owner Ray Davis) was like, ‘Hey Rougie, you know what? Let’s do this. Let’s keep it for this money and I’m gonna give you two horses.’ They were his horses. And I was like, ‘You know what, let’s sign the contract, I want those horses.’ So Ray Davis takes me to his ranch to see the horses. He was like, ‘I’ll give you these two, but you can see every horse that I have, and if you want to pick two more, you can, but I’ll give you these two.’ I was like, ‘You know, give me the ones you give. I don’t want other ones.’
U-T: Do you still have them?
Odor: Yeah, I have them in Texas. … I love horses. Even growing up, I loved horses. My family from my mom’s side, my uncle has a ranch. They work with cows and stuff like that. So I grew up in that scenario. And I was in Texas, like, I have that opportunity to keep those horses and that was it.
U-T: How many horses do you have?
Odor: A lot. A lot of horses. … That’s my hobby besides baseball. I ride them. I like to all the time. I have some time free, I love to go ride some horses. That makes me relaxed, make me forget about everything. They are really relaxing when you are around them. You go ride a horse, you feel free. You don’t worry about your phone, you don’t watch nothing, you just … enjoy.
U-T: Do you ever go back to Venezuela?
Odor: Yes, I have a ranch in Venezuela. I always go back. That’s where I have the most of my horses. I have like 60 horses in Venezuela and, like, 10 here.
U-T: You didn’t know Fernando Tatis Jr. before coming here, but you guys have really hit it off. I always see you talking and laughing. Why do you think you connected so well?
Odor: I think we are kind of the same. He likes what I like. We are always together right now. We are always talking about the ranch, the mountains. … He comes from a family that plays baseball too, kind of like me. Yeah, we got a really good relationship, in the stadium and outside the stadium. We hang out every day.
U-T: What do you guys do when you hang out?
Odor: We like to watch TV, swim, talk about baseball. That’s what we do most of the time. We sit down — especially when we’re on the road — and we put on MLB (Network) and we watch every highlight. We like to see how the other teams are doing so when we face those teams, we already know how they’ll be playing.
U-T: You were a starter your whole career and now, here, you’re more of a part-time player. What’s that adjustment been like?
Odor: It was tough for me at the beginning of the year. I (had) never been in this situation before. It was tough, especially for my routine. In baseball, it’s all about routine. And I used to have my routine as an everyday player and now I’m here, I’m not playing every day, only playing once in a while. But you know what, I’m putting my work inside. That’s been helping me a lot. Like, hit the machine, hit fastball, hit sliders. Hit more than I used to. Because normally when I’m playing everyday, I don’t hit too much because I play every day. I just want to rest, I just want to be ready for the game. But when you don’t play too much, you’ve got to do more stuff to be ready. So I learned that this year, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been feeling pretty good about it.
U-T: Whether you were with the Rangers, the Yankees or the Orioles, one thing that was said about you in each place was how you were the ultimate teammate.
Odor: I think coming up in Texas helped me a lot. I come up in Texas, and it was a lot of veteran guys on that team that helped me to be who I am right now. They (taught) me a lot of things that I really appreciate. Adrián Beltré, Elvis Andrus, Robinson Chirinos, Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland, Shin-Soo Choo, all those guys teach me a lot of things. Little things that help you to be a better player, a better person in the field and outside the field. I think that helped me a lot.
U-T: Sometimes young players can be defensive with veteran guys. Did you go through that?
Odor: I feel like that a lot. But you know what, (through) the years, you realize that they are just trying to help you all the time. But we’re so young that it takes time for us to understand what the veterans try to tell the young guys. I’m talking as a young guy. And then after two, three years, I was talking to Shin-Soo Choo like, ‘Hey Choo, when you used to tell me this? Now I understand why you tried to tell me this.’ It takes some time for the young guys to understand that. But I really appreciate all the work that they did with me. … Sometimes we got to just listen to what they say. Even if we don’t like it, you just got to listen and try to understand what they try to tell you because most of the time we are trying to help. Now I’m almost a veteran guy. I don’t like to call myself as a veteran guy because I’m still young. I feel like I’m still young. But I’ve been in the league a long time and whatever little things I say to players is just to help. I (am) never gonna say something to make them feel bad or to make them do something bad.
U-T: You’ll forever be tied to the infamous punch you delivered on Jose Bautista in 2016 after he slid into you at second base. It seems like every year on the anniversary of it, it’s brought up and shown on places like MLB Network, ESPN, all over social media. Are you sensitive to that?
Odor: I’m not even paying attention to it. Because that was just what happened that year and that’s already in the past. That’s part of the baseball. It happened. I don’t really pay attention. I’m just trying to worry about what we’ve been doing right now.
U-T: Perhaps because of the punch or perhaps because you play with an edge, you seem from the outside like someone who is unapproachable. But in reality, you’re very friendly and fun to be around. Do you get that a lot, where people judge you before knowing you?
Odor: Maybe because the way that I play, like, the other team doesn’t like the way that I am. I’ve been like this my whole career. It’s been happening to me my whole career, but you know what, I don’t care what the other team think about me. I respect the other team. But at the same time, just worry about my team. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help my team to win.
U-T: Your brother and your dad are both also named Rougned Odor. What are family functions like? How do you know which Rougned is being called?
Odor: When my mom calls me, I know she’s calling me.
U-T: Moms are like that. Your brother played baseball and for a bit was in the Rangers organization too. So there were two players named Rougned Odor. Your name is a combination of your grandparents’ names, right?
Odor: Yes. Douglas is my grandpa and my grandma is Nedia. So the first three letters of my grandpa’s name and the last three of my grandma. And every boy in the family, the name starts with an R, so that’s why they put the R to start the name.
U-T: Do you have any nicknames?
Odor: A lot of people call me Rougie. And in the minor leagues, they used to call me Stinky because I was dirty all the time after the games.
U-T: That wasn’t a play on your last name?
Odor: They do it because my last name too. But at the same time, I was dirty all the time because I always (was) playing hard.
