Where does Odor fit into Orioles' plans in 2022?

SARASOTA, Fla. -- There are two primary reasons why Rougned Odor is happy to be an Oriole. The first, and most important, is the abundance of playing time ready for the taking, lined up to be the O’s starting second baseman as things stand. The second -- well, his daughter can identify him once again.

Taking meaningful at-bats for a team like the Yankees? That was enjoyable. Shaving the beard? Less so.

“Yes,” Odor laughed when asked if he’s pleased to have the scruff back. “It was weird last year with no beard. Even my daughter, she didn’t recognize me.”

That just makes this opportunity in Baltimore all the more intriguing for Odor, who was signed for the Major League minimum before the lockout (along with a $12 million salary being paid by the Rangers). But the opportunities are at a relative maximum.

Upon his signing, Odor slid directly to the top of the O’s depth chart at second base. And there’s no overbearing competition at his flank; Jahmai Jones and Richie Martin could incite a conversation with strong camps, as could No. 13 prospect Terrin Vavra. But someone like Shed Long Jr., whom Baltimore signed to a Minor League deal this offseason, is fighting against the reality of a full 40-man roster with other needs ahead of him -- as well as rehab from right leg surgery in October.

“In my mind, I'm [always] competing, because that makes me be a better player,” Odor said. “No matter where I am, I’m always trying to compete.”

Odor could be served by keeping his options open. Asked about the makeup of his 2022 infield, O’s manager Brandon Hyde stressed versatility. Save for Ryan Mountcastle at first base (and Robinson Chirinos at catcher), Baltimore has open competitions for each of the remaining three spots -- all of which could possibly be filled without regular names set in stone.

Odor does have some experience at third base, though it only came across 33 games for the Yankees last season after DJ LeMahieu was injured. How was that experience?

“Uncomfortable,” Odor said.

Dually intriguing about Odor’s place on the roster is that he enters as the most seasoned positional veteran behind his former Rangers teammate Chirinos, but he’s still just 28 years old. Odor debuted with a near full season at just 20 years old in 2014, has eight seasons and 960 games under his belt and has been on three postseason teams, twice as a central figure and once as a depth option.

But Odor is still younger than John Means, Trey Mancini and DJ Stewart.

“I was talking to my dad yesterday, and it feels weird, you know? Because I was always the young guy [on] the team,” Odor said. “And now I see a young guy, they look at me like I'm a veteran guy.”

So as much as he is being looked to as a guide for the O’s young crop, Odor is focused internally just as much, coming off a year in which he was designated for assignment by the Rangers, traded to the Yankees and slashed .202/.286/.379 across 102 games in a roving role. Odor, at his best, has been a power threat, with a trio of 30-homer seasons in Texas, 161 long balls in his career and a respectable .445 slugging percentage from 2015-19.

A native of the lefty batter’s box -- one of only two projected in the O’s starting lineup -- Odor now gets to try and play target practice with both the flag court and Eutaw Street as he calls Baltimore home. Lucky for him, of any ballpark he’s played at least 20 games, he owns his second-highest career OPS (.816) at Camden Yards, behind only Comerica Park (1.042).

As the O’s inch closer to what they hope a stream of contention looks like, important to that mindset is a winning attitude -- past, present and future -- in the clubhouse. Odor will have that on his list of expectations this season, rejoining forces with Chirinos and taking with them the Rangers’ winning spell of the 2010s. Their relationship is a microcosm of what the Orioles hope to see this season.

“Been with Rougie since he was a baby,” Chirinos said. “I kind of worked him into the league, guided him a little bit.”

Working out together over the winter, it was a reunion that appeared to be manifested into reality.

“I told him it would be cool if we can play together this next year,” Chirinos said, “and we're here. A lot to be thankful.”