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.

The term “Grit” is a term used in baseball that, in many ways, is meant to be the highest compliment that a baseball player can be given.  When a player gets called “Gritty”, they are being described as a “real” baseball player and not just someone who is simply playing baseball. For those that have “Grit” the game of baseball isn’t just a game, it’s an everyday process and one that’s not about a result, but instead, about what has been put into that result. 

Hour after hour gets put into this game with, many times, no apparent payoff in sight. Players have to dig in and get “Gritty” and continue to believe in their process even in the face of repeated failure. Those with “Grit” never lose faith that eventually the game will give back, and when it does it will create moments that are made of magic and that are sweeter than Crimson and Cream.  

The Baseball Process

Baseball is a marathon that requires players to produce again and again, and in the face of odds that are stacked against them. Those that choose to take on the challenge of this game have to learn how to use their process to turn frustration into motivation. Baseball players understand that the game is going to consume their time, sometimes all of it, and that’s perfectly fine with them because the ball field is where they want to be.

When baseball players become addicted to the process it changes their entire perspective of what baseball is. The game no longer becomes a constant game of failure, but instead, it turns into the ultimate challenge. The baseball process becomes a players 2nd blood type, and it helps them develop a passion for competition that allows them to handle the monotony of the everyday grind, and then also the excitement of the big moments. 

Love of the Game

Max Hewitt is a recently acquired Dodger that symbolizes the entire baseball process.  He is the poster for all the things that go into making baseball such a passion for so many people. He is the first one to the field everyday, the last one to leave, and he never stops thinking about the next thing he can do to better himself.  He eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball, and now, he is getting to do it all as a professional. Max is not only a great player, he is also a young man that influences the people around him with his attitude, work ethic and love for the game.  He is contagious and makes those around him celebrate his success as if it’s their own.

Against All Odds

Hewitt’s route to the Dodgers is about as far from typical as it could get.  He is from Canada which is not the hottest hotbed of baseball, and when he graduated from Eastview Secondary school in Barrie he had 0 scholarship offers from anywhere to continue his playing career.  But, he loved to play the game and wasn’t ready to hang up his cleats yet so he continued to play for the Ontario Bluejays Baseball Club, his travel ball team.  Hewitt worked multiple jobs to pay his way and kept faith that, someday, someone would give him a chance somewhere. 

Hewitt’s Bluejay travel ball club toured the U.S. playing College teams, and on the schedule was Connors State College in a place called Warner, a tiny town in Oklahoma.  Connors is a perennial power in JUCO baseball, and one that opened the eyes of Hewitt after his Bluejay baseball team played them in an 18 inning double header.  In those 18 innings Hewitt’s team got beat pretty good, and the determined Canadian assumed he’d never be back to that dot on the road map, and certainly not as a Cowboy and on scholarship.  But, when he got back on the bus after that double header, the bus driver, Billy Martin, told him that he was a Connors guy, and although Hewitt dismissed that idea at the time, when he was offered a spot to play for Connors he gladly accepted.  It’s funny how the World goes around sometimes!

Just Give Him a Chance

All Hewitt wanted was the opportunity to keep playing the game he loved and the Connors State Cowboys were offering him that chance.  Little did he know how much he would grow to love his time there, his coaches, and how much his game would grow under NJCAA Hall of Fame coach Perry Keith.  Keith is a very tough coach that has a specific way of developing players and it clicked with Hewitt and his career finally started taking off

At Connors the left handed hitting Hewitt hit .436 with 3 homeruns, 19 doubles and had 67 RBI’s in 60 games and was good enough that, after just 1 year, he was offered a scholarship from multiple D1 Universities.  Hewitt decided to stay in state and continue to be a Cowboy, but this time at the D1 level and under the guidance of Josh Holliday at Oklahoma State.

Go Pokes!

Hewitt entered Oklahoma State as an infielder and in his first 2 years at OSU he made starts at Short Stop, 2nd base and 3rd base.  Holliday and crew had a hard time finding a permanent position for the gritty Canadian, but one place they knew he needed to be was in the lineup, somewhere!  

Hewitt bounced around from position to position, and entering his Senior year, 2020, he still didn’t have a permanently settled spot. That’s when his journey took a detour that no fan could have predicted. Late in his Junior year, Hewitt was at the stadium one day after school had let out, and one of the OSU pitchers needed someone to catch a bullpen.  In typical Hewitt fashion, he was probably the only one there because of all the options he had, with school being out, going to the baseball stadium was #1 for him.  Anyways, Max jumped in and caught the bullpen and word got around about how he can catch.  Pitching Coach Rob Walton knew that the Cowboys needed to find Hewitt a defensive home and became very influential in convincing Max that catching was something he needed to pursue.  Oklahoma State had ultra talented players returning on the infield, so the idea of moving to catcher was one that the ultra utility Hewitt was open to.  Max got serious about catching and in the Covid shortened season of 2020 he caught 10 of the 18 games.

Hewitt had been shuffled around the field like a deck of cards, but his offense had always continued to come up Spades.  In fact, during the 18 games of 2020, the Canadian Cowboy became the first hitter at OSU to hit over .400 since 2007, and, even without a permanent defensive position, Hewitt had unquestionably become the Heart and Soul of OSU baseball.  

Back to Backstop

When the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility in 2021, Hewitt decided to return for his 5th year in College and 4th at OSU and hoped that he had found his home behind the plate and was ready to make the full time transition to catcher.  Although Hewitt played some infield in 2021, he played mostly catcher and his season was a total success.  He became a very good defensive catcher, and also hit .281 with 9 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homeruns and kept ahold of his most valuable tools and those were his team leading amount of grit and leadership.  

Back Where He Started

But, as the cold hard reality of life would have it, all of that team leading grit and leadership Max showed at OSU got him right back in the same position he started.  After graduation from OSU Max went undrafted and was left with no offers and the idea that his days of playing meaningful baseball could be over.  He didn’t know what his next step was going to be, but, again, in true Max Hewitt form, he simply refused the idea of not playing baseball.   So Hewitt kept training, tinkered with the idea of non affiliated baseball or any baseball anywhere as all he wanted was to keep playing.

That’s when Heath Holliday, Dodgers scout at the time and cousin to the Head Coach of OSU, Josh Holliday, delivered the news that kept his dream alive.  At the training facility at O’Brate Stadium, the new state of the Art Baseball Facility at OSU, Holliday informed Hewitt that he was being picked up by the Dodgers as an undrafted Free Agent and that he was being given the chance he so desired. It was an incredibly emotional moment because all Hewitt wanted was a chance, and if history is an indicator of the future, that chance will be all he needs.  

Here’s what OSU head coach, Josh Holliday had to say about Max getting picked up.

“Max is special and I’m so happy for him.  He will maximize his days just like he has everyday here at OSU.  He’s a Great One!”

Well said Coach Holliday!.  Max IS special, he WILL maximize every day he’s given to play baseball, and yes, no doubt, he definitely IS a great one.  

Could Spend All Day Every Day

When writing on the topic of Max Hewitt, I could keep going on and on and never run out of good things to say about him.  But, it has to end at some point, so let me do so with a personal touch by saying thank you to Max for the 4 great years he gave to OSU baseball, the game of baseball itself, for becoming a leader amongst great odds and for being full of “GRIT” and determination that acted as inspiration to those that got to be around it.  

Andy Burns is a 31 year old veteran that has Major League experience and a long story to tell.  Burns was a highly regarded prospect coming out of Rocky Mountain High in Colorado and was ranked the #38 High School prospect in the entire 2008 draft.  Rocky Mountain High is a powerhouse baseball program in Ft. Collins that is led by legendary head Coach Scott Bullock.  Bullock has led the Lobos to 6 State Titles since he took over in 2004.

Burns was named a first team All American by the American Baseball Coaches Association, was the Colorado State Tournament MVP as a Junior and as a Senior and got drafted by the Rockies in the 25th Round.  But, Burns turned down the Rockies and, instead, chose to go to College.  His choice was Kentucky to be a Wildcat and play for newly hired head Gary Henderson in the SEC.  In his time with Kentucky Burns hit 18 homeruns in 100 games and had a career batting average as a Wildcat of .279.  But, after 2 years with the Wildcats, the legendary Lobo took his talents to the Desert and transferred to the University of Arizona.

Burns was forced to sit out 2011 due to the NCAA transfer rules, then after that 2011 season, he got drafted by the Bluejays in the 11th Round and his professional career had officially begun.

Burns a Bluejay

Burns spent the remainder of the 2011 season with the GCL Blue Jays and was then assigned to Class A Lansing and played his first full professional season in 2012 as a Lugnut.

The next season Burns was assigned to High A Dunedin where he performed well enough to be a mid season All Star in Mid June, then got moved up to the AA New Hampshire later that month where he finished 2013.  After a stop with the Bravos de Margarita in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, then 2 more years of bouncing around in the Minor Leagues, Burns finally made it to Toronto in 2016.  In 2016 the Former Wildcat got limited action with just 6 at bats in the Bigs, but had gotten his feet wet on the highest stage and was ready to make a splash in the Majors.

But, in the following Winter, the cold hard business side of baseball struck and Burns was released by the Bluejays, then resigned to another Minor League Contract.  

As a result, Burns chose to play 2017 and 2018 in Korea for the Lotte Giants and had 2 very good years before becoming a free agent again where he was picked up by the Toronto Bluejays again, and spent all of 2019 in AAA Buffalo.  

The world traveled veteran was a victim of the 2020 cancellation of the Minor League season and didn’t play any officially recognized games last year. He was picked up out of Free Agency by the Dodgers in December of 2020 and since then has hit .237 in 186 at bats at AAA OKC and got 3 hits in 11 at bats with L.A. this year.

Around the World

Burns has been drafted twice, been at 2 Universities to play baseball, played in 3 different countries and 2 different organizations in the MLB umbrella.  While his on the field MLB playing time has been limited, his experience in every aspect of baseball and the game of life certainly hasn’t.  Burns has been “Around the World” and is hoping to get to play in the World Series!

With all of the high profile draft picks, trades and overall spotlight that surrounds the Dodgers, down on the farm Veteran Aaron Wilkerson quietly posted one of the loudest years in the entire organization.

Wilkerson is an 8 year Veteran, who at the age of 32, is pitching some of his best baseball.  The Texas native posted 112 innings this year with a 3.86 ERA and,  according to Alex Freedman, the AAA OKC play by play Announcer and Communications director, if ballots didn’t have to be submitted by September 17th, Wilkerson most likely would have been the the AAA West Pitcher of the year.

Ballots had to be submitted by Sept. 17.

After that, Aaron Wilkerson pitched 17.0 innings and allowed 1 unearned run, 10 hits, 1 walk and 19 K. Ended up leading the league in ERA, WHIP, BAA, and K’s.

If voting is done after the season ended, he’s probably pitcher of the year. https://t.co/viIuqC4KnI

— Alex Freedman (@azfreedman) October 5, 2021

Wilkerson graduated from Midway High School in Waco Texas and played his first 2 years collegiately at Panola Community College in Carthage Texas, then finished at Cumberland University in Lebanon Tennessee.  Cumberland is well known for their baseball as they have won the NAIA World Series 3 times and have been runners up twice.

Wilkerson’s 2 year career at Cumberland was record breaking, and, as a Senior, the former Midway High Panther was voted first team NAIA All American.  In becoming an All American as a Senior, Wilkerson became one of two Phoenix to earn first or Second Team All American honors more than once.  As a Senior, the All American threw 54 consecutive scoreless innings,  and had a record of 12-0 with an ERA of just 1.49.  This was following a Junior year where he was named a 2nd team All American after posting a 14-1 record as well. 

Wilkerson signed as a free agent with Boston in 2014 and was assigned to the Lowell Spinners where he finished the Class A short season.

During the next season, in 2015, the 6’2 right hander was moved from Short A in Lowell, to Low A in Greenville, to High A in Salem then all the way up to AA in Portland Maine with the Sea Dogs in August.  Wilkerson was soaring like a Cumberland Phoenix on his ascent with the Red Sox and by the very next year, in 2016, the Waco area native found himself just one step away from Boston, in Pawtucket, with the AAA Red Sox Affiliate.  Wilkerson would move back and forth between AA and AAA 3 times in 2016 before getting traded to the Brewers on June 2nd.

After the trade Wilkerson reported to the AAA Colorado Sky Sox where he spent the rest of 2016.

In 2017 Wilkerson was sent back down to AA with the Biloxi Shuckers where he would spend the entirety of the Minor League regular season, but then got called up with Milwaukee in September as part of the expanded roster.  During his time with Milwaukee in 2017, the native Texan pitched in 3 different games including a 7 inning performance against St. Louis.  In total he threw 10 innings and posted a 3.48 ERA and had a very successful audition.

But, the next Spring, in 2018,  Wilkerson started in AAA again, then had to battle injuries all the way through June, and didn’t make another MLB appearance until July 1st when he pitched 3 innings against Cincinnati.  In total, in all of 2018, the resilient Wilkerson would be optioned to AAA and brought back up to Milwaukee on 5 different occasions.

In 2019 Wilkerson started in AAA again, but was quickly recalled in April before the injury bug hit again.  Finally, on June 22 the Brewers called him back up and the well traveled veteran logged 16 Major League innings on the year.

After a 2020 season in which Wilkerson didn’t log any MLB innings, the Brewers invited him to 2021 Spring Training as a non roster invitee.  Wilkerson chose Free Agency instead and the Dodgers signed him to a minor league contract and the right hander went on to have a spectacular year this year.

2021 was a total success for Wilkerson as he threw 112 innings and had an ERA of 3.86 and led the league in multiple categories.

Aaron Wilkerson allowed 1 unearned run over 7.0 innings tonight.

Unless there is someone just shy of reaching qualifying amount of innings, Wilkerson is going to lead Triple-A West in ERA, strikeouts, batting average and potentially WHIP as well.

He’s had a hell of a year.

— Alex Freedman (@azfreedman) September 30, 2021

What’s His Stuff Look Like

Wilkerson is a guy that has 4 pitches but centers everything around his fastball.  His fastball is 92-95 so it’s not over powering but he does a great job using it to set hitters up.

He likes to use his fastball down in the zone to get ahead of hitters, and, for him to be successful, his fastball has to be a high strike efficiency pitch.  

One of the things that makes his fastball so effective is that he can add armside run to it which makes him effective against left handed hitters as well as righties.  He’ll start this pitch in on the hands and run it back over the inside part of the plate.  It’s effective because the left handed hitter has to swing at the pitch, but when they commit to swinging, the pitch is well off the plate inside.  So, it really jams the hitter.

Wilkerson also uses his slider as a get me over pitch so hitters can’t just sit first pitch fastball

But, then, when he gets ahead in the count he can add much more movement to the pitch 

Wilkersons curveball is what I call a good Old fashioned American Legion Roundhouse Curveball.  It has a lot of 12-6 roundhouse break and plays really well off of his fastball.  He’ll throw the curveball that starts up and breaks down into the zone.

Then, he’ll give the same look in terms of location up in the zone, but with a 4 seam fastball instead, and by the time the hitter realizes the pitch is going to stay up and out of the zone it is too late.

Just to make sure hitters stay off balance Wilkerson will also sprinkle in an occasional change up as well.

Moving Forward

When you’re as battle tested and well traveled as Aaron Wilkerson, nothing comes as much of a surprise anymore and you learn not to plan too far into the future.  

So, although I do think the Native Texan is destined for future Major League action, I want to stay in the moment with his accomplishments this year and make sure that they are properly appreciated by Dodgers fans. Or just simply baseball fans in general.

What Aaron Wilkerson did this year for OKC isn’t going to make ESPN, it didn’t help win a pennant and it would have likely gone unnoticed by even the vast majority of great Dodgers fans.  But, it needs to be understood that what he did is important, it’s impressive, it absolutely matters and it has not, in any way, gone without notice to those that have been close to it.  What role Aaron Wilkerson paves with L.A. in the future is unknown, but for this moment, and this feature, let’s leave it with this:

Aaron Wilkerson…..Job Well Done!