HOUSTON -- Anytime a rookie shows up on the Texas Rangers, manager Ron Washington spends some time studying him.
He’s not looking at the player's baseball ability. He’s looking to see if he's intimidated.
Rougned Odor quickly passed Washington’s test -- and that was before his mammoth home run Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
Odor had a two-out RBI single, a two-out homer and a nifty defensive play that helped the Rangers shut out the Houston Astros.
"He's not afraid,” Washington said. “He walks up to the plate or goes out into the field with confidence. He's not scared."
Impressive for a 20-year-old making the jump from Double-A because of injuries to Jurickson Profar and Donnie Murphy.
Odor has only played five games, but already has collected his first hit, RBI and homer. A stolen base and a walk-off hit and he’ll have pretty much every milestone covered.
“Why should I be?” Odor said through an interpreter, when asked if he was intimidated by the game. “It’s the same game that I’ve always played from my perspective.”
Adrian Beltre said Odor’s big game -- at the plate and on the field -- will give the youngster even more confidence. Odor made a diving stop in short right field to rob Dexter Fowler of a hit in the fifth inning.
“When you come up in the big leagues, everything is so fast,” Beltre said. “When you have a game like that and get a big hit, make a couple of good defensive plays and hit your first home run, it’s something you’ll never forget.”