When the Los Angeles Dodgers lost Cody Bellinger, Trea Turner, and Justin Turner to free agency and Gavin Lux to a long-term injury, most of us thought they would struggle to find consistency on offense.
Here we are, seven games later, and the Dodgers are first in the NL West with a 5-2 record and a +28 run differential.
It’s incredible: the Dodgers always have an unheralded, unexpected hero taking over critical spots and helping the team win games.
This is not by chance or luck, though: it’s part of a much broader system of player development excellence.
The Dodgers have the best coaches and the smartest people working at the front office level.
One of the “out of nowhere” contributors this year is outfielder James Outman.
The rookie is having a fantastic start to the season.
“@Dodgers rookie James Outman through 7 games: .353 AVG (6-17 AB), 3 XBH, 5 BB, 5 R, 1.287 OPS,” MLB Network tweeted.
.@Dodgers rookie James Outman through 7 games:
.353 AVG (6-17 AB)
3 XBH
5 BB
5 R
1.287 OPS pic.twitter.com/ms9NjVsY9O— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 7, 2023
Those are some pretty nice numbers.
Of course, they come with some caveats: for example, he has a 30.4 percent strikeout rate.
While he does have some contact issues, he clearly does some damage with the bat, too.
His minor league performance suggests that there might be some staying power in his overall profile.
For example, he slashed .292/.390/.627 in Triple-A last year before a really short but successful stint in the majors.
In order to reach his full potential, he will need to cut some of the strikeouts.
If he manages to do that and maintain his batted-ball profile, he will be a star in MLB.
NEXT: Dustin May Is Giving The Dodgers A Much-Needed Boost
