Josh Outman Stats & Scouting Report

IP	274
ERA	4.434
WHIP	1.427
BB/9	3.777
SO/9	7.423

Full name Joshua Stephen Outman
Born 09/14/1984 in St. Louis, MO
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Central Missouri
Debut 09/02/2008
Drafted in the 10th round (307th overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005 (signed for $52,500).

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When LHP Josh Outman was at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park--where current Mules head coach Darin Hendrickson was coach for Outman's freshman season--scouts said he had the most unorthodox delivery they had ever seen. With a fastball clocked at 86-88 mph, Outman tied for the Division II national juco lead with 110 strikeouts in 100 innings. Central Missouri State has remade his arm action, and he has gained 5 mph on his fastball. He's still unpolished and needs to further refine his slider. Outman also has hit .345 and shown impressive bat speed as a part-time outfielder.

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Outman signed with the Phillies as a 10th-round pick in 2005 after leading Central Missouri State to a runner-up finish at the Division II College World Series. Outman pitched for Team USA at the 2007 World Cup in Taiwan, tying for the team high with 10 strikeouts in its gold-medal run. Outman was a starter for his first two full seasons in pro ball, but the Phillies moved him to the bullpen in 2008 with the hopes of quickly moving him into that role for the big league club. Instead, Philadelphia ended up trading Outman along with infielder Adrian Cardenas and outfielder Matt Spencer to the Athletics for righthander Joe Blanton. Oakland used Outman as both a starter and a reliever, and he reached the big leagues in September. A good athlete, Outman saw his velocity spike in the bullpen, with his fastball sitting at 93-96 mph and peaking at 97. As a starter, he worked at 90-94 mph. Outman has an 81-85 mph slider with late bite, a solid 79-83 mph changeup and a curveball that he'll mix in on occasion. His arm action can be a little funky and short in the back, but his delivery also has deception and he generally repeats it well. He battles his control at times, but his mechanics are much more orthodox than they were when he was at St. Louis CC-Forest Park. His father Fritz, who wrote a manual on pitching instruction, had Josh extend his arm straight up, bend it down to nearly touch his opposite shoulder and then take a walking step before throwing. Scouts said it was the most unusual delivery they had ever seen and at the time liked him more as an athletic outfielder. Outman could open 2009 with the big league club, either as a starter or reliever.
After transferring from St. Louis CC-Forest Park to Central Missouri State, Outman performed an extreme makeover on his mechanics and starred as a two-way player for the Mules. A key contributor to Lakewood's 2006 championship run in 2006, he set the tone early for Clearwater's 2007 title run. Outman won 10 of his 18 starts before being promoted to Double-A. Despite his revamped delivery, deception remains Outman's biggest strength on the mound. Hitters can't get good reads on his 90-94 mph fastball, his late-biting 83-84 mph slider or his changeup. He scrapped his curveball in 2007, and his arm speed and his location with his changeup improved dramatically as he concentrated on a three-pitch mix. He's a good athlete and fields his position well. The patience of Double-A hitters was a wake-up call for Outman, who walked six in his Reading debut. He fell behind in counts after often overthrowing his fastball and elevating it in the strike zone. While he repeats his mechanics well, he throws with some effort and has a slight head jerk, especially when he throws his slider. Outman will begin 2008 back in Double-A, but he could make his debut at Citizen's Bank Park before September. He profiles as a No. 3 starter.
While at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park, Outman used a delivery developed by his father Fritz that scouts described as one of the strangest they'd ever seen. He extended his arm straight up, bent it down to nearly touch his opposite shoulder and then took a walking step rather than using a leg kick. After transferring to Central Missouri State, he reworked his mechanics while also starring as an outfielder/DH. Outman contributed to a South Atlantic League championship by winning 13 of his last 15 regular-season decisions in 2006. After making changes to his delivery, Outman has seen his fastball jump from 86-88 mph to 90-94. Lakewood pitching coach Steve Schrenk had him ditch his curveball in favor of a sharp slider that quickly became a plus pitch with excellent tilt and late life. His changeup grades as average. Outman has a good feel for his changeup, but wasn't consistent locating it in 2006. His arm speed slows down at times, which he can remedy by using the pitch more often. He puts away hitters easily when he gets ahead in the count but needs to do a better job of throwing strikes. Ticketed for high Class A, Outman could reach Double-A by the summer.
Outman was the fourth of five Central Missouri State pitchers selected in the first 11 rounds of the 2005 draft after the Mules placed third in the NCAA Division II World Series. Scouts had rarely seen a more unorthodox delivery than the one Outman used at St. Louis CC-Forest Park. It was developed by his father Fritz, who wrote a manual on pitching mechanics. Outman extended his arm straight up, bent it down to almost touch his opposite shoulder and then took a walking step--instead of a normal leg kick--before cutting loose. He threw an 86-88 mph fastball and tied for the Division II juco strikeout lead, but coaches at Central Missouri State reworked his mechanics after he transferred there. With a more conventional delivery, his velocity jumped to 90-94 mph. Outman continues to work on refining his mechanics, but he's athletic enough that he should eventually get it together. He posted a 1.059 OPS as an outfielder/DH for the Mules, a perennial Division II World Series participant, and some teams wanted to draft him as a hitter. The Phillies feel they got a steal by taking him in the 10th round and spending just $52,500 to sign him. Outman throws three pitches in addition to his plus fastball: a slider, curveball and changeup. Philadelphia wants him to dump one of the breaking balls because he often gets caught in between and winds up with an ineffective slurve. His slider seems most likely to emerge as a sharp put-away pitch. He's still learning to throw a changeup with regularity. It must become at least average to keep Outman in a rotation. Otherwise, he could become a power reliever capable of blowing away lefties. He'll move to low Class A this year.

Minor League Top Prospects

With Outman, it's all about control. He struggles at times to control his fastball, which explains why ranked among the minor league leaders with 77 walks in 159 innings. At times he struggles to control his emotions, which explains why he overthrows and is prone to big innings and bad outings. But there's also a lot to like about the lefty, who led the league with a 2.45 ERA and earned a promotion to Double-A. Outman's fastball sits at 92-94 mph and he pairs it with an 84-87 mph slider. He's working on a changeup that still has a ways to go. A good athlete, Outman has reworked his mechanics and developed a more conventional delivery since turning pro. He also has added some deception, as he now hides the ball much longer, and his fastball has picked up some life. One manager who saw him in low Class A in 2006 said has made significant strides since last year
Outman doesn't have the feel for pitching that his teammate Maloney does, but he throws significantly harder. He also put together one of the most dominant months any minor league pitcher had this year when he went 5-0, 0.28 in August. He won 13 of his final 15 decisions. A wiry 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Outman often catches hitters off guard with his 90-94 mph fastball. His 80-84 mph slider also has the potential to be a plus pitch. He throws a curveball as well, but the consensus is that he'd be better off scrapping it and sticking solely with his slider. The key to Outman's future will be his changeup, which is still fringy. If it doesn't improve, his fastball-slider combo alone should make him an effective reliever.