Dodgers notes: James Outman, Rule 5 Draft, Corey Seager

Dodgers center fielder James Outman will finish in the top three in National League Rookie of the Year voting, with full results on the award announced on Monday. D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll and Mets pitcher Kodai Senga are the other top-three finishers, which were announced last Monday.

Carroll is the overwhelming favorite with 65 extra-base hits and 54 stolen bases with a 133 wRC+, finishing sixth among all NL players with 6.0 fWAR. But Outman had a fine season in his own right, hitting .248/.353/.437 with a 118 wRC+ and above-average defense in center field.

The folks at Baseball Digest picked Carroll as the unanimous winner for their NL rookie of the year honor, collecting all 11 first-place votes in results that were announced on Wednesday. Outman finished third, with one second-place vote and four third-place votes.

Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT is the deadline for teams to set their reserve lists in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft. Which means it’s time for some prospects to get added to the 40-man roster.

Pitchers Landon Knack and Nick Frasso are locks to be added. Bruce Kuntz at Dodgers Digest broke down those two plus a slew of other potential candidates to join the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.

Robert Orr at Baseball Prospectus wrote an opus on Corey Seager’s approach at the plate, digging deep into the data and showing how unique a hitter the now-two-time World Series MVP really is.

“For Seager, that equation is straightforward: if he’s able to drive it then he hits it, and if he can’t then he doesn’t,” Orr wrote. “He’s not waiting for a specific pitch that may never come, but just the first one that he can damage. In that way he never cedes control of his at-bats to the pitcher.”

Jon Weisman wrote another book, this one a novel called ‘The Catch,’ which is available now. At his Slayed By Voices newsletter, Weisman introduced the main characters in the book.