James Outman entered Spring Training with a chance to win the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting center field job, but he has not made a strong case for himself.
This comes after a rough 2024 season which saw him hit .147/.256/.265 with a 54 wRC+. However, in 2023, Outman was among the best rookies in baseball, slashing .248/.353/.437 with a 118 wRC+ and quality defense that helped him produce 4.0 WAR.
During this past offseason, Outman worked to get back to his rookie form. He made some swing adjustments and focused on adding muscle.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts liked what he saw from Outman earlier in camp, but he has seen things regress back recently, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
Dave Roberts on James Outman, who's struck out 12 times in 23 ABs in spring: "Early on, he looked really comfortable with kind of a little revamped swing. But right now, he's swinging and missing a lot. I don't know if he's pressing. He just doesn't look as comfortable."
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 8, 2025
Outman is hitting just .174 with a .563 on-base plus slugging in his 23 Cactus League at-bats. He’s added two RBIs and two stolen bases.
His inability to put the ball in play remains an issue though with an almost 50% strikeout rate. In 2024, Outman struck out 35.3% of his at-bats, which was up from the 31.9% in his rookie season.
In addition, he saw his barrel rate drop from 11.1% in his first year to just 4.9% in 2024, signifying his significant decline in not just ability to hit the ball, but also his ability to make quality contact.
Outman is now likely destined to begin the year in Triple-A Oklahoma City, and he’ll need to show significant improvements to get another real chance with the Dodgers.
Scouts have long questioned Outman’s ability to be anything more than a fourth outfielder, but he still has a lot of work to do before getting to that point.
James Outman’s competition for final starting spot
While Outman has struggled in Spring Training, none of the Dodgers’ other options to start have impressed either. Andy Pages, the primary competition, is hitting just .217 in Spring Training and provides negative value on defense.
Hyeseong Kim is hitting .160 and Chris Taylor is hitting .185 thus far in Cactus League play.
David Bote has impressed with a .480 average and 1.359 OPS, but he is not on the 40-man roster, so the Dodgers would need to make a move to add him. He would also likely join the roster as a bench bat, if he makes the team.
Roberts has already ruled out Kiké Hernández from starting due to his versatility.
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