Out of this world: Sacramento State alum Outman is tearing it up in Dodgers debut

On the first day of James Outman’s big-league career, he homered in his first at-bat. On the second day, he ran his batting average to .833. And on the third day, Tuesday, he learned he had a Wikipedia page.

So it goes for the 25-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers rookie and former Sacramento State Hornet who is rapidly experiencing success after four seasons in the minors.

“I’ve always expected that I’m going to end up here at some point,” Outman said as he stood in the visiting dugout Tuesday in San Francisco, a few hours before gametime. “I would always tell myself, ‘It’s only a matter of time.’ So I didn’t want to feel like I was surprised when I got the news (of being called up) or anything like that. It’s obviously been an unreal experience.”

It’s also been quite the journey.

From Sacramento State to the big leagues

Outman arrived at Sac State for the 2016 season, where he played with Sam Long, now a Giants reliever. “You just look at the guy, he’s really athletic,” Long said. “You could tell that he was going to be big and strong.”

Outman struggled to find his spot initially at Sac State, initially playing catcher and getting stuck behind Gunnar Pollman and Josh Egan. “He had a great attitude about it the whole time,” Long said. “He’s the type of guy that just worked his butt off no matter what was going on. So I knew he was going to be successful.”

He became an outfielder his sophomore season at Sac State, primarily playing right field for the Hornets. He’s also logged considerable time in center field since and has already played left and right for the Dodgers.

Having also played football at Junipero Serra High School in Redwood City, Outman posted respectable baseball stats at Sacramento State, but hardly ones that would guarantee future MLB success. In 498 at-bats over three seasons, he slashed .249/.359/.482 with 23 homers and 99 RBIs, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

He fared markedly better, though, in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League in 2017, slashing .341/.445/.614 for first-place Bethesda. Outman also stole 18 bases in just 164 plate appearances, projecting to 71 steals in 650 PAs.

“Our scouting group really loved the power-speed combination,” said Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough, who was serving as the organization’s minor league field coordinator which made Outman a seventh-round pick in 2018, following his junior season at Sac State.

From the first day Outman arrived at the then-Dodgers’ rookie affiliate the Ogden Raptors in 2018, he impressed McCullough with his desire to improve, look at the big picture, and not worry about his minor league stats.

But the organization also knew that Outman’s swing needed work. Outman worked with his coaches on ways to make his swing more efficient, cover more of the strike zone, handle velocity and refine his fundamentals, among other things.

Slowly, Outman progressed through the minors, going to A-ball in 2019, not playing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then reaching Double-A last season. He spent the majority of the early part of this season in Double-A with the Tulsa Drillers, where he shined, slashing .295/.394/.552. After a brief spell in Triple-A, the Dodgers called him up.

He admitted there are times in the minors where its easy to get down on one’s self. Still, he also didn’t lose sight of his goal of making the bigs.

“I think if you just keep putting in the work, you kind of see yourself there at some point,” Outman said.

The Dodgers called Outman up on July 30 to replace Zach McKinstry, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Busting out at Coors

When Outman came to the plate against Rockies hurler German Marquez, an All Star last season, Outman wasn’t thinking home run.

In front of an announced crowd of 47,415 at Coors Field in Denver, more spectators than Outman had ever played in front of, he was just trying to not let his nerves get the best of him. Over and over, he told himself, “Just relax and put a good swing on the ball.”

From his perch coaching first base, McCullough watched.

“He looked calm, he didn’t look jumpy in the box,” McCullough said.

On a 1-1 count, Outman’s moment came, with the rookie connecting on a two-seam fastball low and inside for a two-run homer. According to a clip broadcast on MLB’s YouTube page, Outman’s shot over the right field fence left his bat with 97.1 MPH exit velocity, a 30-degree launch angle and projected distance of 405 feet.

Cody Bellinger said he thought Outman’s ball was gone as soon as it left the bat. He put his arms in the air quickly but didn’t start celebrating until the ball cleared the fence. Outman, who said he didn’t think the ball was a no-doubter when it left his bat, ran briskly around the bases, finally cracking a smile after he crossed home plate and headed toward a dugout of teammates waiting to congratulate him.

He went on to add a single and double, finishing the day 3-for-4 with three RBIs. The following day, he went 2-for-2 against the Giants with another double.

Sacramento State coach Reggie Christiansen attended Outman’s first MLB games. Player and coach remain close. Outman said Christiansen was one of the first to call him after news of his call-up. According to Sac State’s athletic website, Outman is the ninth former baseball player from the school to make the majors, joining Long and Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins in active company.

Outman’s family was on hand for his debut, celebrating ecstatically after his home run. An MLB.com writer wrote that Outman is the 130th National or American League player to homer in his first at-bat, a group that includes Sacramento products Cuno Barragan and Ricky Jordan and Hall of Famers Earl Averill and Hoyt Wilhelm.

A few innings after Outman’s home run, Bellinger and Mookie Betts got to talking in the dugout.

“I was kind of discussing with Mookie, ‘I feel like, first career at-bat, first career home run, he’s part of something special,’” Bellinger said.

McCullough sees good things coming for Outman.

“James has the ability to turn himself into a regular contributor at the major league level on a winning team,” McCullough said. “He has the ability to defend at all three outfield spots very well. He’s a good runner. He’s aggressive and again, he can turn around a fastball.”

Bellinger said things were going well playing with Outman.

“So far, so good,” Bellinger said. “I’ve only had two games with him but he’s obviously an athletic kid. … I mean, I’ve heard nothing but good things, so I’m excited to play with him more.”

Bellinger won the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player Award but has struggled since, hitting .199 cumulatively. Asked if he was worried about Outman being competition, Bellinger replied, “We’re all in this together. So whatever happens happens. I think I’m pretty good out there in center.”

Outman said his 10-year-old self would feel very proud of him and offered advice to children: “Just do a little bit every day and it all adds up. Don’t try to climb a mountain by jumping on top of it.”

He also said he’d been running on a lot of adrenaline and that his endorphins were high.

“I’m sure at some point I’ll come down,” Outman said. “But I think all I need to do is remind myself that I’m in the big leagues and that’ll send me back into it.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 10:07 AM.