The grand ole game of baseball is played everyday over 6 months and creates ebbs and flows that challenge even the toughest and most confident of athletes. It is meant to be played with a sense of comfort and relaxation, but also with a competitive “edge”. Learning to deal with the failure the game presents, the workload of the daily grind, and how to play relaxed but, at the same time, “ball out”, as AA Tulsa manager “Henney” puts it, takes a great amount of mentoring. James Outman is an outfield prospect in the Dodgers organization who has learned these intangible qualities and is “edging” his way up the Dodgers system.
Outman has a big frame at 6’3, is extremely athletic, is as tough as the Middle Linebacker he was at Junipero Serra, and has big league defensive skills and athleticism. He has also had the great fortune of playing in systems and underneath mentors who have taught him a great approach to the game and the right adjustments he’s needed to make as a professional. James loves working at the game, is fiercely competitive, but has also learned how to relax and have fun while competing. He has every tangible tool needed to be a long time Major league player, and has learned every intangible skill he needs to enjoy it along the way.
California Dreamin’
Outman grew up in Redwood City, California and played his High School baseball for long time family friend Craig Giannino at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo. Giannino is a coach that specializes in Mental Training, is big on player development both mentally and physically and is a coach that Outman has a world of respect for. Giannino is currently the Director of Player Development at San Francisco University, so he understands how to teach the game and also how to approach it mentally.
I knew Craig even before I got to Serra and we had a great relationship, and we just continued that great relationship while I was there. He’s a great guy and I have a lot of respect for him. I also learned about sports in general and having a tough kind of mindset from playing football and from our football Coach Patrick Walsh.
After completing a 2 sport career at Serra, Outman chose Sacramento State to play for the Hornets and Head Coach Reggie Christiansen. Christiansen was recently inducted into the Menlo College Hall of Fame which is where he played and coached. Since taking over at Sac State, the Hall of Famer has led the Hornets to 9 straights 30+ win seasons, 9 post season appearances, 3 WAC titles, and has been both the WAC Coach of the Year, and the MLB Northern California Scouts’ Div. I Coach of the Year twice. So, not only did Outman choose a very successful program to play for in College, he also chose to play for a great coach who could further his game both on and off the field.
I committed before my Senior year started in High School and I met the whole coaching staff at Sac State and really liked them and I liked it there. I really liked Reggie’s drive, and when I found out he had just signed an extension I loved that security of him being there for my whole career. Reggie is a super stand up guy and I liked him a lot so going to Sac State was an easy decision.
Sac State
At Sac State, Outman’s offensive numbers didn’t jump off the stat sheet, but he was always willing to put in the work to be a combination of power and consistency as an offensive player. As a Hornet, the left handed hitting outfielder didn’t hit for an eye poppingly high average, but hit 22 homeruns in his last 2 years, stole 23 bases, and had an on base percentage of .360. He started 58 of the 60 games as a Sophomore with Sac State, and all 60 games as a Junior so he showed to be both tough and durable.
While Outman was having a very good career at Sac State, he really started to take off after his Sophomore season as a Hornet. After his Sophomore campaign, the Redwood native played in the Cal Ripken league and performed at an elite level. The Cal Ripken league features players from all of the biggest Conferences, so when the big left handed hitting outfielder hit .341, 9 homeruns and stole 18 bases in 37 games, he was awarded the Summer Collegiate Player of the Year by Perfect Game and Rawlings. This is when Outman realized that he may have a future in this game and felt as if he was ready to take off as a player.
I went to Bethesda Maryland in the Cal Ripken League and played for the Bethesda Big Train under Sal Colangelo. I don’t think it was anything specific, but the reps I got everyday and seeing some really good arms was great. That was the first time where I really felt like I was ready to take off as a baseball player.
The Redwood native showed as a Collegiate that he could play Major League Caliber defense, had an offensive game that could grow, was very durable and had a frame and potential to be a long time big leaguer. As a result, the Dodgers took him in the 7th Round of the 2018 Draft.
Draft day was a great day. It was at like 11:00 in the morning on a work day so everyone else was at work. I was anxious, but then I got the call that the Dodgers were going to take me in the 7th round and it was a huge relief. It was great, it was one of the greatest moments of my life.
Under the Hood
Outman was the last crop of Dodgers who had the benefit of playing rookie ball in Ogden and was considered to be “plug and play” as a defender. He has shown excellent range and is great at both going back on the ball and playing the wall, and also coming in and making sliding catches.
I still think I could have used some work going into professional baseball, but Reggie was a stickler for defense at Sac State so I felt like I held myself to a really high standard in college and was ready to hold myself to an even higher standard as a Professional.
The 6’3 outfielder was considered “plug and play” defensively, but knew that he needed to make some adjustments to his swing. He had always hit the ball hard, and had always shown good power, but he needed to build a swing that would create more consistency. Outman was not only open to the changes, he has been the driving force behind them and the results have been fantastic. After being moved up to AA Tulsa this past year, Outman hit .339 in August, had 7 multi hit games, and an OPS of .976. He backed that up by being an All Star in the Arizona Fall League while hitting .292 with an OPS of .994.
I made a lot of adjustments, but probably the biggest one was being able to relax in the box and loosen up my body and let my athleticism take over instead of just trying to muscle the baseball.
MLB?
James Outman is, in my opinion, a Major League caliber player and one that could stick for many years. He has MLB defensive skills, more than enough athleticism, can steal bases, hit for power, and now has a swing that should allow him to be both consistent and powerful. His approach to the game, work ethic and ability to relax and have fun, but also play with an “edge”, are big league caliber tools that will keep “edging” him forward. He has all the tools to be a big leaguer, has a big league approach, and is getting closer to his dream, one step at a time.
