James Outman burst onto the scene for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year and got off to a strong start this season to set himself up as an early National League Rookie of the Year favorite.
Outman was named the NL Rookie of the Month for April after batting .292/.376/.615 with four doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 20 RBI, four stolen bases and 11 walks while appearing in each of the Dodgers’ first 29 games.
However, in his last 30 games, Outman is batting just .177/.266/.302 over 96 at-bats. In his last 15 games, that line drops to .095/.170/.167, and Outman is hitless in his last 18 at-bats, which includes 10 strikeouts.
Despite Outman’s recent struggles, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts still believes the at-bat quality of the rookie outfielder are “good.”
“I think what’s happening is they’re pitching him up in the zone and some borderline calls are going against him down below,” Roberts said. “But I still think the intent to put together an at-bat are good.
“The results haven’t been good, but that’s part of it. I don’t think any of us expected this season to just be completely linear, and that’s OK. I do know he’s prepared every day and he’ll find his way out of it.”
Baseball is a game of adjustments and it was always likely that pitchers would soon figure out how to best pitch to the 26-year-old. Roberts said he “absolutely” expected Outman to eventually struggle a bit.
“The thing is it’s happened to all of our guys. So I think it’s more magnified because it’s a young player. I could say the same thing about Mookie, and that’s a superstar player,” Roberts noted. “It’s baseball. It’s hard to hit.”
While there is still plenty of time left in the season for Outman to get back on track, that will require an adjustment to how pitchers are attacking him.
“I think it’s one of those things where it’s hard to cover the entire strike zone and also the front to back, so breaking it up into halves,” Roberts said on how Outman can improve. “Sometimes you’ve got to kind of commit to a ball at the top of the zone and take some stuff down below. I think to kind of chase both, that’s a tough way to go about it.”
Even with his slump, Outman is still hitting an impressive .240/.330/.485 with nine home runs and a 122 wRC+ in 52 games.
James Outman not dealing with mental toll
While a prolonged rough patch can certainly be frustrating for any player, and especially a rookie, Roberts is confident that the struggles are not making a negative mental impact on Outman.
“No, not at all,” Roberts said. “I think I’ve got a good feel for the guys, and I don’t see any extra anxiety or panic in his demeanor.”
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