Los Angeles Dodgers prospect James Outman likely won’t be the only addition to the big league club this week. But he made the first big impact with a couple days to go before the MLB trade deadline.
Just recently called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 25-year-old Outman was in the lineup Sunday against the Colorado Rookies at Coors Field.
The outfielder was batting ninth behind struggling veterans such as Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger as the first-place Dodgers looked to get more from this spot.
In his very first MLB at-bat, Outman more than answered the call. That included a two-run homer off Rockies starter German Marquez. The ball traveled 405 feet over the right-center fence and had an exit velocity of 97.1 miles-per-hour. It was a blast.
As you can see Outman’s family was on hand in Colorado to watch his debut with the big league club. Obviously, they were not disappointed.
Per MLB.com, Outman was the Dodgers’ 17th-ranked prospect heading into the 2022 season. For good reason. The former seventh-round pick from Cal-State Sacramento was tearing things up against minor league pitching this season.
- James Outman stats (2022): .279 average, 21 HR, 69 RBI, .915 OPS
Outman might not be the most-heralded Dodgers prospect. But his ability to make an impact could end up looming large moving forward.
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Los Angeles simply isn’t going to sit back and expect Outman to play every day in the outfield. That would be foolish for the World Series contenders.
Rather, his presence could help the Dodgers overcome some major struggles in the outfield. As noted above, Bellinger has struggled big time. He entered Sunday’s action hitting .204 with a .642 OPS. Chris Taylor is currently on the injured list and is hitting a mere .238. Meanwhile, the Dodgers just recently picked up Trayce Thompson for depth.
There’s also a decent chance that these Dodgers might include James Outman in a trade for a proven player ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. He wouldn’t be the centerpience in a package for Washington Nationals star Juan Soto. But the young outfielder could be a nice piece headed back to D.C. should something come to fruition on this end.
Either way, hitting a homer in your first MLB at-bat is a life-long memory. Good for Mr. Outman.