While the Los Angeles Dodgers have started out hot, James Outman has not as he struggled to begin his sophomore season as the primary center fielder.
Outman is coming off a strong rookie season where he hit .248/.353/.437 with 23 home runs, 86 runs score, 70 RBI, 16 stolen bases, a 118 wRC+ and 4.0 WAR.
But entering Monday’s game, Outman was hitting .125/.263/.156 with no home runs, two runs scored, three RBI, a 36 wRC+ and -0.2 WAR across 10 games.
The 26-year-old began the game 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Monday, but he ended up hitting a go-ahead solo home run that proved to be the game winner.
After the game, Outman said on SportsNet LA that he isn’t letting early frustrations get to him and he hopes the homer will help jump start offensive production:
“I think it’s still early, so it’s a little early to be super frustrated. But anything to get going is good.”
Following the game, Outman is now hitting .139/.262/.250 with the lone homer, which is still far from the production he and the Dodgers would like to see, but an improvement nonetheless.
Outman has struggled all-around offensively, ranking below league average in expected average and slugging, average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard hit rate, whiff rate and strikeout rate.
He is right at league average on his chase rate, and he’s taking walks at a near-elite level, but other than that, there’s not much saving grace for his start to the season.
Of course, expected numbers tell what a player has done already more so than what they will do, so Outman could still turn it around.
If he doesn’t, he may continue to lose playing time in center field, specifically against left-handed pitching.
James Outman not being platooned
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave Outman some time off to work on his swing and insisted he will continue being the everyday center fielder rather than be part of a platoon.
If the Dodgers reverse course and decide to platoon Outman, Kiké Hernández would be a natural parter for him in center field. The 32-year-old has already made four starts at the position this season, but he also has struggled at the plate in the early going.
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