Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Assessing the 2023 Outfield Options for LA

The Dodgers’ 2023 outfield is looking thin at the moment. L.A. lost some of its key members from years past this offseason and will have to look for new everyday players, especially in center field.

Los Angeles could make a trade for a proven outfielder like Bryan Reynolds, or they could stick to who they have. If the Dodgers were to stick with who they have and plug them into the outfield, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.



Right now, the club’s options at center field are Jason Heyward, Trayce Thompson, and James Outman.

Our Twitter page wanted to hear from the fans about who they think will be the center fielder in 2023.

Trayce Thompson has the slight lead in the poll grabbing more than 44% of the vote as of publishing time, while James Outman is in second at 39.3%.

Heyward has yet to suit with the Dodgers, but fans are familiar with his game for the most part since he is a veteran.

A good amount of the people voted; however, others decided to give their take in the comment section.

The 25-year-old Outman has proven that he can play at the big league level, even though it was only a small sample size. He hits for power, has speed, is young, and is cheap.

Heyward may be the best defender from the group, but he’d have to prove he can still play in the big leagues, as he signed a minor league deal this offseason. Thompson can hold his own on the defensive side and proved it in the 2022 postseason.

Who would you like to see in center field in 2023, Dodger fans?

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Ricardo Sandoval

Born and Raised in the East side of Los Angeles. Ricardo is a staff writer at Dodgers Nation and on the LA Sports Report network of sites. He's also a lifelong Dodgers and Lakers fan. Ricardo is an alumnus of CSUN (Go Matadors).

10 Comments

  1. Trayce can play center, just run the tape, crystal clear. Outman deserves to get another crack at it, if he can cut down on his strikeouts, he’s allstar material. Heyward, in his prime is a no brainer, in his prime…..

    1. I like Thompson in LF, Outman in CF and Betts in RF, with Taylor backing up all three.

      #LetTheKidsPlayLA

  2. As they say “The future is now!” Give Outman the chance. Good defender, good power. If he hits ,230; we will be fine. Just think if he cuts his K’s like the gentleman above says?

  3. It’s simple, at least before any possible trade: Outman in left, Thompson in center, Betts in right. Taylor simple isn’t a good enough hitter- he should either be traded or kept as a backup/utility guy.

    1. Taylor and Outman are equal with the glove. They are also equal with striking out a lot. If they can’t get rid of those all or nothing swings, neither one is any good for us and we should have kept Bellinger for another season. Wonder what ya’ll will be saying if neither can shake the strike out issues…

  4. Ricardo, you overlooked Taylor. CF is likely to be shared time unless Outman proves he can hit lefties; Taylor and Outman. Thompson has reverse splits so he likely would not be paired with an outfielder who hits from the left side. Trayce hits righties best as does Outman..most likely.

  5. Our center fielder needs to hit. If we did not need a hitter, we could have kept Bellinger. Hayward and Thompson are weak hitters, just like Bell.

  6. Give Oatman a shot in CF with Thompson his backup. If it doesn’t workout, it will be known within a measured time.

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