The Colorado Rockies made an eye-catching move this week, signing catcher/infielder Jack O’Dowd to a free agent deal. And while the name might ring a bell for longtime Rockies fans, this isn’t just a legacy signing - it’s a story of perseverance, production, and a player carving his own path to affiliated ball.
O’Dowd, the 24-year-old son of former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd, is coming off a breakout season in the independent Pioneer League with the Billings Mustangs - and it wasn’t just a solid showing, it was record-setting. He launched 22 home runs and drove in 91 runs, both single-season franchise records for Billings, while slashing .333 and posting a 1.091 OPS. That’s the kind of offensive firepower that turns heads, even outside the traditional scouting pipelines.
His road to this point hasn’t followed the usual script. O’Dowd split his college career between Vanderbilt and the University of Texas - two powerhouse programs - and even made appearances in top-tier summer leagues like Cape Cod and the Northwoods.
But despite that exposure, he wasn’t selected in the MLB Draft. Not after college.
Not after a strong showing in the MLB Draft League in 2024, where he hit .306.
So, he took the long road. The independent league route.
And he didn’t just survive - he thrived. That kind of production, especially from a left-handed bat with positional versatility, was enough to earn him a shot with an MLB organization.
Now, he joins a Rockies system that’s very familiar territory for his family, but make no mistake - Jack O’Dowd is getting this opportunity because of what he’s done on the field, not because of his last name. He’ll begin his journey in the Rockies’ minor league system, with a chance to prove that his bat can play at the next level.
It’s a long climb from indy ball to Coors Field, but O’Dowd’s already shown he’s not afraid of the grind. And if he keeps hitting the way he did in Billings, the Rockies might just have found a late-blooming gem.