Oddibe McDowell

From BR Bullpen

Oddibe McDowell

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.
School Miami Dade Community College North, Arizona State University
High School McArthur High School
Debut May 19, 1985
Final Game August 10, 1994
Born August 25, 1962 in Hollywood, FL USA

1 Biography
2 Notable Achievements
3 Chris Berman Nickname
4 Related Sites

[edit] Biography

Oddibe McDowell, a muscular 5 ' 9 " outfielder, was a high-profile player long before he hit the majors. A two-time All American at Arizona State University, he won the Golden Spikes award in 1984 when he hit .405 and slugged .788 with 31 stolen bases.

McDowell was drafted twice in 1981, twice in 1982, and once in 1983. He finally signed as a first round selection in the 1984 amateur draft by the Texas Rangers and scout Harley Anderson. Playing only 31 games at AAA Oklahoma City in 1985 - and hitting .400 with 8 triples - he was brought up to the Rangers for the rest of the season.

He continued to be a sensation with the Rangers. Although he hit only .239 in 111 games, he was second on the team with 18 home runs and also second on the team with 25 stolen bases in 32 attempts.

The next year, 1986, he raised his batting average to .266 and his on-base percentage to .341, but in spite of playing a full season he only hit 18 home runs, (the same as the previous year). He stole 33 bases, but was caught 15 times. He scored 105 times, but struck out 112 times. It was to be the only season in his major league career when he played in over 150 games.

In 1986, he broke up a potential no-hitter by Roger Clemens after 7 2/3 innings.

In 1987, he slumped to .241. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage remained mediocre. It was said that McDowell, a left-handed hitter, did not hit lefties very well. He had 14 home runs. One bright spot was that he stole 24 bases in 26 attempts.

The next season was a disaster. Starting slowly, he was sent to the minors for 18 games in June - back to the Oklahoma City 89ers, where he hit .286. In the majors, he appeared in 120 games during the season, hitting .247 with only 6 home runs. He stole 33 bases. The Rangers were ready to move him, even though he had just turned 26, and traded him and others in December for Julio Franco who was four years older than Oddibe (and who was still in the majors as of 2006).

He lasted half a season with Cleveland in 1989 before being traded to Atlanta for Dion James. With Atlanta, he hit .304, but got caught 10 times in 25 steal attempts. He did hit 7 home runs in 76 games with them.

In 1990, he hit .243 with 7 home runs, and was released at the end of spring training the following year. He signed with the California Angels, and later with the Baltimore Orioles, but did not play in the majors with them.

In 1994, he came back to the Rangers, hitting .262 with 1 home run for them in 59 games. He still had some speed at age 31, stealing 14 bases in 16 attempts.

Appearing primarily as an outfielder during his career, he had excellent range, but his arm was criticized.

According to similarity scores, the most similar player to McDowell is his contemporary Daryl Boston, also a first-round pick of whom much was expected.

www.lonestarball.com picked him as # 47 on the list of the "50 Greatest Rangers of All Time". A lengthy resume of Oddibe's major league career appears here: http://www.lonestarball.com/story/2006/1/15/194951/917