Dodgers notes: James Outman, Nick Frasso, Shohei Ohtani

Baseball is notorious for being a sport filled with superstition. It could be found in a pitcher’s routine of avoiding stepping on the chalk down the baselines, akin to Dodgers starter Julio Urías. In the case of rookie James Outman, his unique “decoration” has helped him propel through the Dodgers’ farm system, eventually finding himself as a starting outfielder this season.

Outman carries a rock in his locker named Rocka and the 25-year-old uses the rock as a placeholder for his glove during games. He doesn’t view the rock as a sense of superstition and claims it’s more of a gimmick, however, he will devise other plans of retaining his on-field success, as Stefan Stevenson of the Orange County Register notes:

“If I have a good game, I’ll try to wear the same pants I wore the night before, but not always,” Outman said. “I think we all know that having a rock in my locker isn’t going to get me hits, but if it might help, sure.”

While the decoration is not as elaborate and eccentric as the iconic shrine of the fictional slugger Pedro Serrano from the film Major League, Rocka is here to stay as a fixture of support for Outman.

Links

• Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report lists seven top prospects who could potentially find new homes after the trade deadline, with him listing Dodgers pitcher Nick Frasso as a possible trade piece.
• Houston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times talks about the idea of Shohei Ohtani being acquired by the Dodgers and Julio Urías’ free agency market value among various topics in the latest edition of Dodgers Dugout.
• Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that the Dodgers are interested in acquiring a right-handed outfielder at the trade deadline and lists ideas for the Dodgers could acquire, including a potential reunion with current Red Sox utility man Enrique Hernández.