{"id":827672,"date":"2026-10-12T16:18:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T16:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/827672\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T16:18:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T16:18:24","slug":"colorado-rockies-news-jack-odowds-arizona-fall-league-selection-caps-off-a-whirlwind-first-season-in-affiliated-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/827672\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Rockies news: Jack O\u2019Dowd\u2019s Arizona Fall League selection caps off a whirlwind first season in affiliated baseball"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most surprising stories of 2026 was the rise of Rockies prospect Jack O\u2019Dowd (HM PuRP<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Originally undrafted out of the University of Texas, O\u2019Dowd played a year of independent ball with the Billings Mustangs before signing with the Colorado Rockies in the 2026 offseason. Since then, he has torn through the minors \u2014 playing in three of the four full-season leagues in just one year. And to cap it off, he was selected to the Arizona Fall League after just one season in affiliated baseball.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot,\u201d O\u2019Dowd said of the travel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to ship my truck twice, so that was a lot. Our affiliates are so spread out that getting from Fresno to Spokane and then Spokane all the way out to Hartford, it was a lot of travel. Adjusting to time zones was different, and then just adjusting to different leagues and the travel in every league is different, and the personalities of each team is a little different, and each staff is a little different.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was really cool,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like every time I moved up a level, it was like Opening Day again. I got a fresh, clean start, and it felt like I had to prove myself again and again, so that was really cool and almost refreshing in a way. For how long the season is, it kind of broke it up for me to where, \u2018All right, today it\u2019s Opening Day again. It\u2019s my first game in Spokane or my first game in Hartford.\u2019 So that was fun as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily for O\u2019Dowd, though, he had a lot of college teammates throughout the system that he was able to lean on \u2014 Max Belyeu (No. 23 PuRP<\/a>) and Jebarron Johnson Jr. in Spokane, Skyler Messinger and Mike Antico in Hartford, and Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP<\/a>) towards the end of the season and in the AFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose built-in relationships helped a lot, and it ended up allowing me to get comfortable a lot quicker in those environments, which is nice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut also just being myself and just trying to be the same person everyday \u2013 be a great teammate and try to make everyone around me better, too. I feel like that helped me to get the respect of guys on the team quicker, and ultimately makes performing on the field a little bit easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though the travel and adjustments were challenging for O\u2019Dowd, he found a silver lining.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I think that the highlight of [my season] was just getting to play with so many guys inside of the org,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, getting to play with three different teams, I got to play with almost every single guy inside the Rockies org, and that\u2019s really cool and pretty unique. So I feel like I got to create relationships along the way that, when spring training comes around and then in future years, it\u2019ll be great to know guys on such a personal level. So that was probably the coolest part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to transitioning to affiliated baseball and traveling all over the country, O\u2019Dowd has also taken on another new challenge: converting from an infielder to a catcher. This is not the first time the Rockies have done this (see: Tony Wolters and Dom Nu\u00f1ez).<\/p>\n

O\u2019Dowd is embracing the challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed it so far. It\u2019s been a fun transition,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that a lot of my work here in the Fall League is focused around trying to improve all those different areas that I need behind the plate. But I think, as a whole, my skillset just fits the catching position really well. My instincts, my knowledge of the game can really serve me well back there. And then I think catching is a position where you always need catchers, especially left-handed hitting catchers, so I think if I can get myself to the point where they trust me behind the plate, and I can do everything I need to do, then I think that opens up a lot of opportunity on the field for me, which is exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hard position to learn, but it\u2019s really fun because there\u2019s so much that goes into it,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd I love the game. I love to study the game, so it gives me a whole new perspective on it, for sure. So I\u2019ve enjoyed it a lot, and I\u2019ve enjoyed the Fall League a lot to get back there and get time to really focus on the mechanics of catching and trying to improve on all that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He actually started that transition in Billings, where he gained confidence behind and in front of the plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Billings was kind of a good stepping stone for me coming off a senior year in college where I struggled and just couldn\u2019t string together good performances,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed something to allow me to find the potential that was there that I was just struggling to get out, and eventually Billings is kind of what gave me the platform to do that. And I think my game started to come together there, and I got more confidence and learned the catching position originally there, and then really started to find my swing there. So I think Billings allowed me to gain some momentum that I was able to take into this past season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, O\u2019Dowd learned some valuable lessons in 2026 that he\u2019s taking with him, and he is looking forward to the opportunities that the Fall League offers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think trying to improve catching-wise, just continue to get the reps back there and continue to get better. That would be one of my main focuses \u2013 continuing to try and address some of the areas offensively that I need to get better at,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then also just picking the brains of all these coaches and guys on my team from other orgs is really exciting, and I feel like it gives me an opportunity to take things from them and what they teach and try to apply them to my game. That\u2019s a great part about the Fall League, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, O\u2019Dowd has seen action in four of the Rafters\u2019 AFL games \u2014 one as a DH, one as a first baseman, and two as a catcher \u2014 and is slashing .267\/.267\/.333 with one double and two RBI.<\/p>\n

It runs until November 14th, so O\u2019Dowd (and the other Rockies prospects) will see plenty of action over the next five weeks.<\/p>\n

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