Odd Man Outman
Gators starter dazzles with unusual pitching mechanics
Fauquier Gators pitcher Josh Outman uses an unconventional pitching style to keep batters guessing.
With only a handful of fans in the stands, the jokes and laughs from the Herndon Braves’
dugout easily reach the pitcher’s mound at Liberty High School.
A lanky, 18-year-old Fauquier Gators pitcher warms up with his catcher, his eyes averted
but his ears ever so aware of the taunting. He fires another practice pitch toward home plate.
The laughter erupts once more.
This is nothing new, though. Same taunts, different ballpark.
Wherever Josh Outman travels to pitch, the fans, opponents, coaches and umpires are there to make fun of him.
Braves leadoff man Skyler Doom swings at Outman’s first pitch, anxious to get a piece of the
left-hander. He pops a weak fly ball to leftfield.
At least he got a "piece."
In the second inning, Outman strikes out three more Herndon batters for five in a row — and all go down swinging.
It’s now the third inning. At this point, nobody is laughing.
"He’s something else," admits Herndon’s Robbie Bouman, shaking his head.
Outman, a St. Louis native, is one of three people in the world to employ an unusual, unconventional
style of pitching known as "the Outman Methodology." The other two are his father Fred, or "Fritz",
and his younger brother Zachary.
"I guess it hasn’t caught on yet," says Outman, now his turn to joke.
The origins of the unorthodox mechanics trace back to 1980, when Fritz Outman met with former
baseball coach Roy Lee to discuss pitching techniques.
Lee, a former big leaguer with the New York Giants, introduced Outman to the topic of homo-kinetics
and biomechanics in relation to pitching a baseball. The subject sparked an interest with Outman, who
has spent more than 20 years researching and designing a pitching method superior to what he refers to
as the "universally accepted, status quo mechanical approach."
In 2001, Outman published Over Powering Pitching, a book written to explain and teach his "Outman Methodology"
for pitching a baseball.
"I wondered why pitching mechanics are the way they are," says the elder Outman. "My motivation was to quench
my thirst…to see if I could come up with a better way."
According to his text, Outman’s mechanical approach allows for a greater maximum velocity, greater rotation
and a release point that is closer to the batter when compared to conventional pitching mechanics.
Additionally, Outman’s mechanics cause less damage to the rotator cuff and elbow of the pitching arm.
"I have developed the best way to exploit the physics and physiology of pitching a baseball," he claims,
having coached and trained his two sons at home for nearly eight years.
The delivery, awkward in its appearance, begins with the pitcher raising his arm vertically with the ball,
then bending it behind his head — seemingly touching his opposite shoulder. The pitcher then pivots his
front foot, beginning his follow-through with a "walking step" forward. There is no leg kick as with
conventional mechanics.
"It’s different and it looks weird," says Josh Outman, who has been clocked at 93 miles per hour. "But I
get more movement, more velocity. If you ask batters, they’ll tell you it’s harder to pick up the ball."
Gators’ third baseman Dustin Pritchett knows first-hand how difficult facing Outman can be. As his teammate
at Forest Park Community College in St. Louis, he remembers the first time he stepped into the batter’s box
against the soft-spoken, 6-foot-1 pitcher.
"I thought he was screwing around at first," laughs Pritchett. "But it gets on you fast. You don’t expect
it to come that fast. I’d never seen anything like it."
Neither had the Herndon Braves.
Following the first two pitches into their June 23 game, Herndon head Coach Chuck Faris approached the home
plate umpire, questioning the legality of Outman’s pitching.
"It’s a different look, and I don’t know that it’s legal," says Faris, worried that Outman was touching the
ball twice with his glove — a violation. "It makes it tough because you get caught up with all this stuff
going on, you’re not picking up the release point, and then the ball is on you."
It wasn’t the first time that Outman’s mechanics have been questioned.
"I’ve had to learn the rulebook pretty well to defend myself," says Outman, assuring his compliance with
baseball pitching regulations.
The unusual style has created quite a spectacle wherever Outman has pitched over his career. Back home
in Missouri, hundreds of baseball fans would travel significant distances to catch a glimpse of the young
phenomenon.
For the Outman family, the criticism was tough to take at first.
"My laboratory was out in the open," says Fritz Outman of his son, who has been pitching in front of
crowds since he was 10. "Most new products are tested behind closed doors."
Oftentimes, those who watch Josh Outman pitch become immediately critical.
During his sophomore year at Lindbergh High School, Outman’s baseball coach refused to allow him to pitch
for the entire season, based on his pitching style.
"He said if I used conventional mechanics then I could pitch varsity," says Outman. "I wasn’t changing."
Outman went to the athletic director, principal, superintendent, and even the Board of Education to
plead his case. It was when the coach saw him pitch in a travel, summer league game, however, that he
changed his mind. Outman went 8-1 with a 0.82 ERA that summer prior to his junior year and became the
Flyers’ ace during the next two varsity seasons.
"Baseball is very traditional. Convention is difficult to discard and people are reluctant to change,"
says Fritz Outman. "If I had a nickel for every time somebody naysayed him. . .. Well, close your eyes
if you don’t like it."
Critiques and comments aside, Outman gets the job done on the mound. In his first season as a pitcher
for the Forest Park Highlanders, he went 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA — leading his team to a best-ever 45-10
record and an appearance in the Super Regionals of the NJCAA tournament. He notched his first collegiate
no-hitter against St. Charles Community College in a 5-0 victory.
"We just look for results. Technique is not important," says former Forest Park head Coach Darin
Hendrickson. "When you see a guy that’s a little unorthodox, you don’t know what to do with it as a
batter. By the time you figure it out, the game’s usually over.
"He pretty much did his thing without much problem."
Outman did his thing at the plate, too.
As an outfielder, he was selected as a first team NJCAA Division II All-American, as he crushed 13 home
runs with 66 RBIs as a freshman. He was Forest Park’s only dual position player.
Outman, though, would like to continue pitching — his first love. He understands the importance of
success on the mound, especially with his unconventional delivery.
"To keep my legitimacy, I have to perform well with my mechanics," says Outman, currently 1-1 with
a 3.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts. "I can’t go out there and get shelled."
Skeptical baseball minds may prevent Outman from being drafted to the next level as a pitcher. But
in his case, the disappointment would be short-lived.
"I want to go as far as I can with it. And if that’s just through college, then so be it," he shrugs.
Only one thing is certain for Outman.
"Wherever and whenever he pitches, everyone’s looking," says Pritchett.
And usually, everyone’s laughing.
But, according to his father, "when he starts striking people out, it’s not funny anymore."
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