Rockies Prospect Turning Heads With Arizona Fall League Power Surge

The Colorado Rockies haven’t had many reasons to celebrate baseball lately, but apparently somebody forgot to tell Jack O’Dowd.

The 25-year-old prospect has spent his autumn treating Arizona Fall League pitchers like they’re throwing batting practice at a slow-pitch softball tournament. Baseballs are disappearing over fences, and his name is climbing the statistical leaderboards. Now, a player who went undrafted two years ago is suddenly becoming one of the more interesting stories in Colorado’s farm system.

From Independent Baseball to the Fall League’s Best

Texas infielder Jack O'Dowd. | USA TODAY Sports

O’Dowd leads the Arizona Fall League with six home runs and a .687 slugging percentage. He also earned a spot in Sunday’s Fall Stars Game, a fitting reward for somebody who’s playing as well as O’Dowd is at the moment.

While his current performance is impressive, it’s the journey he’s taken to get here that makes the production even more noteworthy.

O’Dowd went undrafted out of Texas in 2024 and eventually landed with the independent Billings Mustangs, where he hit 22 home runs in 2025. Colorado signed him to a minor league contract last winter, giving him a chance to prove himself in affiliated baseball.

He responded by hitting .307 with 23 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .947 OPS across three minor league levels in 2026. That’s a fairly convincing introduction, especially for a player who entered the organization without the fanfare that typically accompanies a highly regarded draft pick.

His production did decline after reaching Double-A Hartford, where he hit .254 with seven home runs in 51 games. Still, the Arizona Fall League has provided an encouraging response to those relative struggles.

A Familiar Name With a Different Story

MLB Network analyst Dan O'Dowd. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

O’Dowd’s last name should sound familiar to longtime Rockies fans. His father, Dan O’Dowd, served as Colorado’s general manager from 1999 through 2014, overseeing some of the franchise’s most memorable seasons.

Dan, now an MLB Network analyst, is scheduled to help call Sunday’s Fall Stars Game, meaning he might get to watch his son continue his remarkable autumn from the broadcast booth.

Of course, dominating Fall League pitching doesn’t guarantee success in the big leagues. O’Dowd still has plenty to prove against more advanced competition, and his rougher times at Double-A offer a reminder that the climb won’t necessarily be smooth.

But for a Rockies organization that desperately needs young players it can get excited about, O’Dowd’s rise has provided an unexpected reason to pay attention.

That’s not too bad for a player who didn’t even hear his name called in the draft.

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