DODGERS SCOUT TOM KUNIS TRUSTS HIS WELL-HONED INSTINCTS

James Outman hit .253 and struck out in more than a quarter of his at-bats his junior year at Sacramento State, but Tom Kunis saw the talent lurking beneath.

- KYLE GLASER

Kunis, the Dodgers' area scout for Northern California and Nevada, fell back on the lessons he learned over 30 years as a college coach and believed in Outman's athleticism, tools and work ethic. On his recommendation, the Dodgers drafted the 21-year-old outfielder in the seventh round in 2018.

"When you see the guy crashing fences, running crazy numbers down the line, running hard every time and taking two (bases) at a glimpse of a bobble-those types of things that wasn't hard," Kunis said.