The Book on Josh Outman

Graduated Prospect Info

Now that he's no longer rookie-eligible, The Book is closed on Josh Outman as a prospect. This page remains as a historical record of his time in our prospect list.

Last bio and ranking update: 12/1/2008.

OAKJosh Outman
Born 9/14/1984
LHP, OAK

Well, it's a better name for a pitcher than Homer, that's for sure. Outman was one of the best pitching prospects that the Phils had in the system, but he moved to the much deeper Oakland farm with the Joe Blanton trade. He even got a shot in the rotation (briefly) near the end of the year, when he went 1-2 with a 4.56 in four starts.

The Missouri State product has a newly-'normalized' pitching motion and an arsenal of still-developing breaking balls that complement a solid 94mph heater. His control has not yet improved enough to plug him into an MLB rotation, but considering he'll be throwing home games in the most pitching-friendly stadium left in baseball, that may be manageable. The good news is that by all accounts he's got a serious and mature approach to his game, which is the kind of profile that flourishes in Oakland. He should get a shot at a pretty wide-open rotation in 2009, and even if he doesn't make it immediately, he'll probably get a longer look later in the year.

Player Updates and Notes

Uh-oh. Josh Outman was removed from his start Friday with 'dramatically reduced velocity'. Though he's experiencing no pain, the A's are calling is problem a 'sprained elbow', which is a scary thing to hear. He'll take a DL trip at best, and after some examination, his worst-case could be TJ surgery that would end what was looking like a breakthrough rookie campaign.

6/21/2009 by KDaddy

After sneaking his way into the rotation in Spring, lefty Josh Outman has quietly become the ace of the A's staff, going 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA so far this year. He's shown enough poise that the A's should be thinking long term, and soon.

6/8/2009 by DataBoy

Josh Outman has stolen the fifth and final rotation spot on the injury-riddled A's roster. He beat out favorites Gio Gonzalez (gone to AAA) and Sean Gallagher (banished to long relief) for the job. He's unlikely to keep his spot all year, but at worst, he'll get some serious MLB seasoning, which should help him long-term. Only the best-performing of the three rookies in the A's rotation (Cahill, Anderson, Outman) is likely to still be in the rotation come September.

4/4/2009 by KDaddy

After a day of swirling rumors, the Oakland A's sent workhorse Joe Blanton to the Phillies for three youngsters, including Josh Outman. Outman enters a deeper system where he'll be a bit more buried, but it's also a much better system for pitchers overall, so he gets a long-term boost.

7/17/2008 by KDaddy

 

 

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