Travis Barbara, Dodger’s Triple-A manager, left one of the Camelback Ranch backfields Monday morning and crossed paths with outfield prospect James Outman.
“One more day, Outty!” Barbary exclaimed as she watched the acclaimed 25-year-old hit three home runs in live batting practice.
“I have one more, right?” Outman asked jokingly.
Barbara laughed and shook his head.
“No,” he said, looking over the distant outfield fence that Outman repeatedly climbed with ease. “There are no more balls.”
Celebrate with the final star moment of Outman’s stellar spring – another resounding statement in the young hitter’s bid to make the Dodgers opening team.
At the start of the season, Outman was seen as the best outfielder in the club’s system, but as a player who could still benefit from more scouting in the minor leagues.
After all, he was only a few seasons away from a major overhaul of his mechanics. He recorded only 212 career at bats in Triple A and only reached the highest level in the minors halfway through last season.
And while he impressed in a brief debut with the majors last July — hitting a home run in his first at bat and going 6-of-13 in four games — he also struck out seven times, a sign that there are still gaps. in its revised swing.
Still, that first taste gave Outman a newfound appetite for the big leagues.
“When he came back … I asked him, ‘How was it?’ Barbara, who runs the organization’s Oklahoma City office, recalled that winter. “And he said, ‘All I want to do is come back, and I’ll do whatever it takes.’ And he played great the rest of the year.”
Outman ended the campaign on a tear, posting a .293 batting average and a 1.018 on-base percentage plus slugging in Triple A, including 15 home runs and two cycles in one week.
This strong aftertaste continued into the spring.
In 23 Cactus League at-bats, Outman has nine hits – four of them for extra bases, two of them as clear home runs. He drove in eight runs. And he batted just six, walking three for a base percentage of nearly .500.
His streak continued in live batting practice on Monday. Evan Phillips, Caleb Ferguson and Daniel Hudson all turned to see Outman take one of their pitches low.
“My second time in eight months facing hitters,” joked Hudson, who recently returned from a cruciate ligament tear, “and they faced me here with Babe Ruth.”
And is there really any chance that Outman will still be left out of the Opening Day lineup?
Apparently so, based on how manager Dave Roberts has coined the question over the past few weeks.
“Is he ready for the big league? I would say he is,” said Roberts. “How we fight is another question. But yeah, he’s doing what he can.”
And as the clock ticks towards the end of camp, several factors come into play.
Scouts are divided on how well Outman’s play could lead to an extended Big League stint.
While he has the brute strength and natural athleticism to be a potentially prolific MLB slugger, some reviewers have questioned whether his swing still has a few too many moving parts to hold up against better-known pitchers capable of fast exchange and various parts of it shelf.
The Dodgers might consider going in a different direction with the roster space left open by Gavin Lux’s season-ending injury. Other veteran infield and outfield options remain controversial, such as Steven Duggar, Yonny Hernández and Luke Williams.
Central to the decision, however, is what the Dodgers believe is best for Outman’s long-term future:
Guaranteed daily bouts in the minor leagues, at least for the opening round of the season? Or rather, a part-time role on the big league-roster that already has two left-handed outfielders on its season-opening roster.
“First class,” Roberts said of the situation. “It’s good, the competition. Boys perform, boys compete. And we have very good options.”
On Monday, Outman declined to delve into the team’s speculation, saying he tries “not to think about it” as spring training enters its final weeks.
His new focus was on situational shots and trying to refine his approach into high leverage forays to the plate.
Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds was the final test. In the third inning, Outman loaded the bases. On his next shot, he hit back with an RBI double.
“Education of blow Aspect, and not just the swing aspect, is a big deal,” he said.
Roberts noted the immediate reaction.
“James is one of a kind,” said the manager. “I have his mentality in the [Dodgers catcher] Will Smith Bucket, until now [being] immovable.”
However, that doesn’t mean Outman doesn’t enjoy his escape jumping feats.
Of the many ways the rookie has blended in with his new teammates, perhaps the most visible is the pet rock he keeps in his locker, a gray fist-sized rock with a big smile on his face.
Outman originally got it early in his Triple-A stint last year when Oklahoma City pitcher Marshall Kasowski passed it off as a good luck charm from the pitching team.
“Hey, we used to have it for the pitchers,” Kasowski told Outman. “But we started giving up too many hits.”
Ironically, Outman noted, the gift didn’t work at first.
“I didn’t swing it very well,” he said.
However, it didn’t take Outman long to find a groove that he has yet to lose.
So the skirt has remained a bit of a superstition — it was taken to spring training, to street games, and maybe soon to a booth in Dodger Stadium’s home clubhouse.
Times contributor Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.
Source: LA Times