Dodgers News: James Outman Feels He Benefitted Massively From Time in MLB
Dodgers prospect James Outman got a cup of coffee with Los Angeles last summer, playing four games, homering in his first at-bat, and posting a 1.409 OPS in 16 plate appearances. He then went back to Triple-A and finished dominating that league for the rest of the season.
Overall, it was an outstanding season for Outman, who played with Double-A Tulsa, Triple-A Oklahoma City, and the big club. As he told AM570 recently, the whole year was a great experience for him.
“It was awesome. … Awesome is an understatement, you know? 2022, I felt like I had a pretty good year. I had a lot of fun, my teammates are awesome. Pretty much every single locker room I was in that whole year was really fun to be around. So, I’m looking forward to another good locker room environment.”
Outman was asked how important his brief time in the majors was and whether it helps him moving forward in his career.
“Yeah, I think so, it might be might be too early for me to say. I definitely feel after those six days, just coming back to Triple-A, I felt like I had 10 more months of playing time under my belt just in those six days being around all those guys that are really, really good and the bar was raised (for me). I felt like I was holding myself to a higher standard after that point. I do think that getting a little taste is is good. Just so I kind of know what I’m working with.”
Once you’ve been in the big leagues, you’re a big leaguer. Outman’s Wikipedia page will forever say “American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).” Obviously the next step is to get back to stay, but that first cup of coffee is critical to a player’s career.
Outman will doubtless get more time in the big leagues in 2023, possibly even as soon as Opening Day. It will be fun to watch his progress continue.
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