Outman & Kike – Dodger Centerfielders
I took a lot of flack last season because of James Outman. Much of it came from Eric, who disappeared this year when the going got tough for James. Eric evidently can dish it out, but he can’t take it! I sometimes think he loves James Outman more than the Dodgers. He also seems…
I took a lot of flack last season because of James Outman. Much of it came from Eric, who disappeared this year when the going got tough for James. Eric evidently can dish it out, but he can’t take it! I sometimes think he loves James Outman more than the Dodgers. He also seems to hate Miguel Vargas, but many of you do because you hate it when I am right! 😉 To those of you think I do not want James Outman to succeed. I will politely say that you are out of your rabbit-ass minds.
The Dodgers need James to play well, although I have lowered my expectations for him. James is going to start against RHP, and Kike Hernandez is going to start against LHP. End of story! Like I said, I have lowered my expectations. My expectations for Kike and James are that they play great defense in CF and hit .240 with 20 HR between them. That’s it! CF is a key defensive position. James did hit a HR last night. It was his first of the season. Maybe this will get him going. James has struck out 15 times in 36 ABs. Yikes! That has to improve… Right?
Teoscar will likely move to RF, and Miguel Vargas may move to LF. That’s what I see. Miguel does not strike out a lot, and the Dodgers as a team need more contact. Vargas’ bat-to-ball skills should play up well in this lineup. Gavin Lux will figure it out. I believe that. He made a hell of a defensive play last night, and that will help his confidence. It is early for Gavin. I think Gavin will be an everyday play soon enough… maybe!
My hope that James Outman does not totally implode! This is exactly what I was afraid of. He was extremely fortunate last year. It happens. This is a new season and the Baseball Gods are not smiling on him. Hopefully, the home run he hit last night will get him going. The Dodgers need James! They need him a lot! So, there should be no talk of sending him down or things like that. James and his wife are expecting a child, so sometimes “life changes” impact people differently. Give him time!
Taylor Trammell looks like a waste of a roster spot to me. What is happening with CT3? He has a longer runway than Trammell. When will the Dodgers dip down to OKC and bring Vargas up? Probably by May 1st. We shall see. Vargas has 15 RBI so far (no one else on OKC has more than 6). He is OPS’ing over 1.000 and is playing a decent LF. It’s time for another shot for Miguel. Now, with full disclosure – it appears that Miguel Vargas has bought into the Dodgers launch angle and strikeout program as he is striking out at a much higher rate than before – he is also showing more power. It’s early, so maybe it’s an anomaly!
Last Night’s Recap
- Paxton is looking like an excellent pickup (unless he gets injured).
- The bullpen was lights out.
- Ohtani and Freeman are heating up.
- Let’s see what Conner Brogdon has…
- It’s too bad the Dodgers sent Gus Varland back to OKC. He could have opened tonight against his brother, Louie! Instead, it’s that bum… Glasnow! 😉
100% Blackout
Yes, I saw it and it was one of the Coolest Things I have ever seen!
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Discussion (48)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Umpire last night, John Tumpane, made some really bad strike calls on Mookie. I mean those balls were at least six inches outside. First was on a strike three call in Mookie’s second at bat. Then he made two more really bad calls his next at bat, forcing Mookie to swing at a pitch that was four inches off of the plate his next at bat since that was where Tumpane’s strike zone was. Roberts barked at the umpire and the ump threatened to run Dave from the game. Lasorda would have exploded and gotten his 10 cents worth in. Umpiring this season so far is awful. Angel Hernandez cemented his place as the worst in the league with some very questionable calls yesterday. Bring on the ABS.
Are you giving up on Heyward? Don’t think it’s helpful for Vargas’ development if he comes up only against lefties. And Kike is not a great defender in CF. The Twins pitcher who threw Outman the 3-2 hanging breaking ball should be sent down. Outman hasn’t even fouled a fast ball off in over a week. And that’s what scares me the most about him. He swings right through mid mid average fastballs. Similar to Bellinger. Pitches a good hitter crushes. But he is very streaky, so maybe a good stretch is coming. And now Lux is all glove and no bat! But still lots of time. We need 7-8-9 to give us some production come October. Don’t need them to get to playoffs. Miller, Grove, Sheehan, Lux, Outman and Vargas. Some in this group will figure it out.
04/08/24 Los Angeles Dodgers activated RHP Connor Brogdon.
04/08/24 Los Angeles Dodgers sent RHP Dinelson Lamet outright to Oklahoma City Baseball Club.
04/08/24 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned RHP Gus Varland to Oklahoma City Baseball Club.