Jordan Kendall | Orioles should replace Rougned Odor with Gunnar Henderson

Aug. 11—The 2022 Baltimore Orioles have featured several breakout players — most notably Felix Bautista and Ramon Urias. However, others such as Rougned Odor have been holding the team back.

He's been one of the most inconsistent players in the lineup. Meanwhile, Gunnar Henderson has been lighting it up in the minors. I think it's time for the Orioles to bring Henderson to Baltimore as Odor's replacement.

In Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Odor had the type of game O's fans are used to — a few good plays mixed in with a few awful ones. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. His home run was a two-run shot to right in the eighth inning that ended up being the game-winner.

Now for the bad — he also made several mistakes on both sides of the ball. In the fourth inning he was tagged out on a rundown between first and second base. He also committed two errors, including one in the bottom of the ninth that nearly cost Baltimore the game.

He fielded a ground ball and tried to throw to first base. It landed in the photographer's area by the dugout and put the tying run in scoring position. He did redeem himself by catching a lineout to end the game.

He's been a great clubhouse leader and brings the energy every day. He's also capable of making tough plays on defense and has power on offense. However, he's been way too inconsistent for me to trust him — especially while the Orioles are in the playoff hunt.

He leads all second basemen in baseball with 11 errors. He's led the American League (AL) in errors at second base six times. He's also led the AL in errors five of the last six seasons.

He's also struggled on offense. As of Wednesday, Odor has a .196 batting average and a .259 on-base percentage. In 15 games from July 23 to August 8, he only had four games with a hit and four with a walk.

Before the Tuesday's game, he hadn't recorded multiple hits in a game since July 27. In his career, Odor hasn't finished a season with an average over .205 in the last four years. He also hasn't finished a season with an on-base percentage better than .286 the last four seasons.

Odor only has two seasons with an on-base percentage better than .300. For reference, an on-base percentage is considered to be an average season at .320.

A common theme I've noticed from Orioles' hitters this season has been plate discipline. Most of the team has done a great job at waiting for the right pitch to swing at. Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins in particular have been exceptional at knowing when to swing.

They rarely chase balls outside the strike zone and can foul off several pitches to stay alive. The ability to identify the right pitch to swing at is something I haven't seen from Odor.

He seems to capitalize when a pitcher makes a mistake, but when a pitcher is hitting their spots he lacks the discipline that others have. He is much more aggressive at the plate and doesn't seem to care as much if a pitch is a good one to swing at.

While Odor has struggled, Henderson has been one of the top players in the minor leagues. He was recently named Baseball America's number one overall prospect. Henderson has been exceptional with the Norfolk Tides, Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate.

As of Wednesday, Henderson has played 47 games for the Tides. He has a .295 batting average and a ridiculous .408 on-base percentage. Henderson also has nine home runs, 28 RBIs, and 30 walks. For comparison, Odor has 11 homers and 22 walks in 97 games.

Henderson hasn't played enough in Triple-A to qualify as a league leader, however, he would be fourth in all of Triple-A in on-base percentage. On defense, he's committed 10 errors including six while in Double-A Bowie. However, unlike Odor, he makes up for it with his bat. I'd much rather have his offensive consistency with a few defensive mistakes over Odor who can't be consistent on either side.

If the Orioles bring up Henderson, they have the talent to adjust the lineup. Ramon Urias has played 14 games at second base this season. Jorge Mateo has played 18 games at second. Henderson is listed as a shortstop, however, he's played 27 games each at shortstop and third base.

Entering Tuesday's game against Toronto, Baltimore is tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the final AL wild card spot. They should be trying to compete. I believe swapping Henderson for Odor would give them the best chance to do so.

Jordan Kendall is a Sports Writer for the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @JKendallCTN.