Rockies Reach Deal with Jack O’Dowd, Son of Former GM Dan O’Dowd

The Colorado Rockies took on the son of a former general manager on a minor league contract earlier this week.

A detail view of a Colorado Rockies batting helmet in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies created a full circle moment by reaching an agreement with Jack O’Dowd on Monday.

The deal, reported by MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, is a minor league contract. The deal presumably comes with an invitation to Major League spring training, something that he’s familiar with. He spent many springs in Scottsdale, as his father, Dan O’Dowd, was formerly the Rockies general manager.

The Rockies did not formally announce the deal and it has not appeared on the team’s transaction log.

Jack O’Dowd’s History

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

O’Dowd went undrafted coming out of the University of Texas in 2024. He previously played college ball at Vanderbilt. He landed in the Pioneer League with the Billings Mustangs. The independent league includes 12 franchises in the Northwest U.S. The Oakland Ballers won the league while his Mustangs finished 26 games out of first place.

But he had an incredible season. O’Dowd slashed .333/.449/.642 with a 1.091 OPS in 84 games. He hit 22 home runs and drove in 91 RBI. He broke the franchise’s single season record for home runs and RBI. He was named a Pioneer League All-Star.

He has the makings of a utility player. He played second base, shortstop and third base in college. He also played four games behind the plate with West Virginia in the MLB Developmental League in 2024.

Across four collegiate seasons he slashed .257/.330/.423 with 23 doubles, 12 home runs and 65 RBI. He played with two of the best college programs in the country. But he never hit more than six home runs in a collegiate season, which came in 2023 with Texas. That year he played in 64 games, not far off from the 84 he played for Billings.

Assuming his deal comes with an MLB invite, he’ll be competing for the last bench spot among the infielders.

Dan O’Dowd was the general manager of the Rockies from 1999-2015. He presided over the transition from the late-1990s team that featured Larry Walker, Dante Bichette and Vinny Castilla, which put up incredible offensive numbers. Two of his pitching contracts become the most reviled contracts of the time — Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle.

He rebuilt the organization around young talent like Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki and, with manager Clint Hurdle, led the Rockies to their only World Series appearance in 2007.

Before Colorado, he worked in the Baltimore and Cleveland organizations.

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