CLEVELAND – Rugaon Odor hit another big homer for the Yankees on Saturday – and did another bat flip flip.
“He flips off the bat, so I knew it was gone,” Aaron Hicks said of Odor’s latest shot, which provided a go-ahead run in a 2–1 win over the Indians over Progressive Field . “I flip with the bat, so it’s good to have a guy on the team where as soon as he flips off the bat, you know he’s gone.”
The Yankees have often pointed to Odor’s “energy” as he came into a trade from Texas earlier this month, designated for assignment by the Rangers before Opening Day.
Aaron Boone notices Odor’s bat flip after his second inning homer in Friday night’s win, calling it “a very good bat flip and the discount on his homer is very special.”
Flamboyance does not just stand for Boone.
Former catcher Eric Kritz thought it might be what the Yankees needed.
The retired former Yankee wrote on Twitter, “Are Yankees very professional? Maybe Rougned Odor can give them the swag they need. He brings a dynamic that, combined with other talents already on the roster, can make him deadly, even if not statistically good. “
“I try not to do it on purpose,” Odor said. “I’m just like that. I don’t like losing. … I bring energy to take the team to another level.”
Recently, Odor has provided both swagger and stats.
In addition to the bang on Saturday and a two-run homer on Friday, the second baseman was ahead of a single in the seventh inning of Thursday’s win in Cleveland.
And he made several solid plays on defense and when he lost the strike zone, went to Justin Wilson’s mound with a left-handed batsman in his lap.
When asked about Kreutz’s observation, Boone said that he wanted to make Odor and the rest of his players authentic.
“I definitely think there’s something there [Odor], What does he bring, ” Boone said. “There is an energy and enthusiasm with which he plays. One of the things we try to encourage with our friends is to come in and be ourselves. There is a level of professionalism, no question, that goes along with playing here and our team leaders set that tone, but I think our people do a good job – and hopefully we all Do a good job – to get people in and who they are and I think Raugan has come in and brought something to the table besides what he brings between the lines. The energy and pleasure with which he plays the game, I think, is useless. “
“I always hear him in my outing on the field,” said Gerrit Cole. “In the dugout, he is always trying to inspire people. He is playing really good defense. … He is playing really well. “
At least one and a few weeks have elapsed since rehab with Luke Voyt to repair a partially torn meniscus in his left knee during surgery, with Odor often dropping to second place with DJ Lemahieu.
Darren O’Day likes what he’s seen from Odor – whose reputation buoyed him after his infamous fight with Toronto’s Jose Batista, when Odor killed Bautista after a play at second base.
“[Odor] O’Day said, ‘It’s hard.’ He said, ‘He punched a man in the face. So that’s tough. He’s got a quick right, as well, if we meet in any scrap out there.
And he has continued his contribution on the field.
“O’Day said,” He is not afraid of circumstances. “He’s not very scared, apparently. He increases the intensity a little bit.”
After going 1-for-17, with a homer, in his last six games, Odor provided four hits and five RBI in his last three, while providing solid defense over the other.
After Voyette recovers, Odor will have to fill in more for a utility role, with Lemahieu in the second, Gio Urshella in the third and Gleiber Torres in shortstop.
In the meantime, he provided the Yankees with at least some spark – and played a key role in a pair of much-needed wins in Cleveland.
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