Baseball is not an easy game to play, especially pitching and hitting. At the Major League level, the necessary skills and mental approach are incredibly difficult and only the best of the best can consistently play the game at elite levels.

Nevertheless, there are certain fundamentals that are the same whether the game is played on a sandlot, organized leagues, or at Dodger Stadium. There is nothing more fundamental than keeping your eyes on the ball. This holds true whether an athlete is playing baseball, golf, tennis, soccer, cricket (et al.). Failing to watch the ball is a sure way to fail, regardless of the level at which the game is being played.

From the very first time a youngster is taught to play the game, they are told to watch the ball. It is an axiom of the game: You cannot catch or hit the ball if you fail to watch the ball. Watching baseball players – at any level – take their eyes off the ball even for a split second usually leads to fielding errors and failed swings of the bat.

Even elite MLB players must be reminded of basic fundamentals from time to time and is why there are specific coaches for pitchers, fielders, and hitters. It is their primary responsibility to prevent players from falling into bad habits and not doing so has been the path to failure since the game was first played.

This brings us to Dodgers outfielder James Outman.

In 2023, Outman was the Dodgers regular center fielder and hit 23 home runs with 70 RBIs. He was well above average defensively, ran the bases aggressively, and offensively was 20% better than average MLB hitters (Fangraphs wRC+). He was third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting and on the cusp of becoming the team’s center fielder for the better part of the next decade.

Unfortunately, 2024 was pretty much a disaster for the then 27-year-old Outman. The late HOF broadcaster Vin Scully would have said: “Outman took the express elevator from the penthouse to the basement.” MLB has done this to many a player, humbling them from the cusp of stardom to “Wasn’t he a Dodger a few years ago?”

Outman is slashing a dismal .067/.176/.267/.443 in the five games in which he has appeared this season and his failed efforts to hit MLB pitching is frustratingly painful for Dodgers fans desperately wishing for him to return to his form of 2023.

Perhaps Outman needs to follow in the footsteps of Kiké Hernández and Max Muncy and have his eyes examined for glasses. He and his coaches have undoubtedly considered a mechanical flaw in his swing and/or hitting approach as the achilles heel he must fix, but could it be something as simple as getting his eyes checked and getting glasses?

Appearances can be deceiving on television, but lately, when Outman swings at a pitch, he appears to take his eyes off the ball – or even close them – as former Dodger great and current Dodgers broadcaster Rick Monday astutely noted during Outman’s first at-bat (and first strikeout) on Sunday. Could the solution to Outman’s hitting problems be as simple as the fundamental of watching the ball to contact?

Back to the future may be the answer – that and KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).

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