Speaker 1: The Dodgers are getting ready for a Cactus League playing.
Speaker 1: We're joined right now by the man that is the
Speaker 1: longest active tenured position player on the Dodgers' roster. He's
Speaker 1: still in the same humble corner locker space than he
Speaker 1: was in twenty fifteen, and that is the one and
Speaker 1: only Austin Barnes.
Speaker 2: Austin, thanks a lot for.
Speaker 3: The time, Thanks David for having me on your fabulous
Speaker 3: show today.
Speaker 2: And yeah, it's getting ready for the game.
Speaker 1: Would you like to say hello to your uncles and
Speaker 1: your father and the entire Barnes family listening right now?
Speaker 3: No, No, I think only my uncle listens to you,
Speaker 3: and you know, you know, he just supports the Dodgers.
Speaker 1: Hey, what is it like coming back here and being
Speaker 1: in the same space, a lot of familiar faces and
Speaker 1: being able to have some sort of confidence that you've
Speaker 1: been here for a while and people look to you.
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, you know, obviously been here for a long time.
Speaker 3: It's a great organization. Uh, you know, every year is
Speaker 3: a little different, but there's some you know, the same
Speaker 3: there's every year kind of changes over a little bit,
Speaker 3: and you know, obviously this is the same goal every year.
Speaker 3: We're trying to get to a World Series, win a
Speaker 3: World Series. You know, we did it last year, and
Speaker 3: we did it in twenty twenty and you know, we're
Speaker 3: building something great here.
Speaker 1: You know what, you have the unique perspective of seeing
Speaker 1: the evolution of great Dodger teams. You did it differently
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty four than what you did in twenty
Speaker 1: and I'm sure obviously a lot differently in sixteen and seventeen.
Speaker 1: What's it like to see different faces, different type of
Speaker 1: ways to win, but still have that same goal.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think just teams have changed, you know, the
Speaker 3: team team's construction in baseball, it's a lot different than
Speaker 3: it used to be.
Speaker 2: In you know, I think we're no different.
Speaker 3: I think we set the tone with that and obviously
Speaker 3: we required a lot of great talent.
Speaker 2: Every year.
Speaker 3: There's really great players in this in the locker room,
Speaker 3: and this year's no different.
Speaker 1: You've been around now for a while. How has the
Speaker 1: game changed from the first year in the major leagues
Speaker 1: to where we're at right now With the state of
Speaker 1: the game, you know.
Speaker 3: It's a lot different, you know, just the way people pitched.
Speaker 3: You know, one year it was you know, the high
Speaker 3: heaters were a thing. You know, then you know, now
Speaker 3: it's becoming kind of uh, cut the fastball. It was
Speaker 3: for a while, cut the fastball, seek the fastball, like
Speaker 3: kind of different types of fastball. That was more like
Speaker 3: when the sticky was more alive. And then uh, now
Speaker 3: you know, it's just you gotta adapt. You know, the
Speaker 3: game's ever changing, and uh, you know, I think the
Speaker 3: I think the way that we play though is conducive
Speaker 3: to any any type of you know, the way the
Speaker 3: league is is changing in that in that sense.
Speaker 2: What about the sweeper? Is it still the sweeper?
Speaker 1: Is that still the way to go or is it
Speaker 1: now evolving into a change up buzzuh split fingered fastball
Speaker 1: type of pitching staff.
Speaker 3: I think the splittys are just more conducive to like,
Speaker 3: you know that a lot of the Asian the Japanese
Speaker 3: pitchers have the split fingers and uh yeah, I remember
Speaker 3: when they used to call it the slider instead of
Speaker 3: a sleeper, and now it's it comes on, it comes
Speaker 3: as a sleeper. But no, I think you know, a
Speaker 3: sleepers still have it's it's a place here, you know,
Speaker 3: they just they run away a lot and it can
Speaker 3: be tough on Righty's and you know, tough on lefty
Speaker 3: and lefty and stuff like that. But yeah, it's interesting
Speaker 3: to see the evolution just a pitching of just the
Speaker 3: way the game is going.
Speaker 1: Is there really a difference between the sweeper and the
Speaker 1: slider or is it just naming it something different?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean some of them just some have more
Speaker 3: horizontal than you know, up down traditional sliders, And uh, yeah,
Speaker 3: it's interesting. I you see guys who you know, like
Speaker 3: traditional sliders know more. I courage she's not really his
Speaker 3: slider is different. But and guys who sweep the sweep
Speaker 3: the slider lights. Uh, you know, just I think it
Speaker 3: depends on your mitch mix as a pitcher and what
Speaker 3: works best for you.
Speaker 1: Austin Barnes is our guest Dodger catcher, and you obviously
Speaker 1: have a few new faces on the pitching staff. But
Speaker 1: the one guy from last year that really took a
Speaker 1: step forward, Yoshi Yamamoto. Have you seen more confidence from
Speaker 1: him just this spring?
Speaker 3: Definitely definitely see more confidence from I think it just
Speaker 3: even in his bullpens.
Speaker 2: I think he's more sure of himself.
Speaker 3: I think he comes in uh this year with the
Speaker 3: with the different mindset and kind of a plan. Even
Speaker 3: when I see in his bullpens, he's you know, he's
Speaker 3: trying to elevate the heater more, trying to run it
Speaker 3: in a and uh, you know, playing with this cutter
Speaker 3: more up and in the lefties.
Speaker 2: I think he's in a really good spot.
Speaker 3: And uh, like I said, I think it was just
Speaker 3: one of the best pitchers in the world. I think
Speaker 3: he Uh, I think his ability to he's just a
Speaker 3: really polished pitcher just with this command plus his stuff.
Speaker 1: Did you see that evolve last year because told me
Speaker 1: that he would take him out for coffee during the
Speaker 1: playoffs to try to get his confidence up to to
Speaker 1: really because of how much you guys needed him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, Yoshanobu's pitching big games all over the world.
Speaker 3: You know, he's pitching the WBC, He's pitching championship games
Speaker 3: in Japan, and he you know, he's pitching the biggest
Speaker 3: games in.
Speaker 2: The world with.
Speaker 3: You know, with what he did last year, and he
Speaker 3: answered the bell every time. So Oshanobu's is such solid
Speaker 3: as a rock.
Speaker 2: He's one of the he's fun to catch.
Speaker 3: Like I said, his command is you know, pretty pretty
Speaker 3: special plus his stuff. So there's a lot of weapons
Speaker 3: with them, and he's one of the he's the fun
Speaker 3: guy to be out there with.
Speaker 1: Before I let you go, what about my guy snell Zilla?
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's good. Uh, you know, you really don't.
Speaker 3: It's funny when you face a guy and then you
Speaker 3: catch him. You know, it's what you see and stuff
Speaker 3: is a little different. And uh, but his he's just
Speaker 3: really fluid.
Speaker 2: Me.
Speaker 3: He's a little real fluid pitcher, really easy fastball, jumps
Speaker 3: at you, and he's got you know, change.
Speaker 2: Us really good. His curveball's good.
Speaker 3: And I'm sure I've seen this slider be really good.
Speaker 3: He hasn't really thrown too many of them this year
Speaker 3: this spring, but got a lot of weapons, man, And
Speaker 3: he's one of the best pictures in the game also,
Speaker 3: And you know, I'm glad to have him on our team.
Speaker 1: All right, Austin, thanks a lot for the time. You
Speaker 1: got your catcher's mitt on your hand. How long have
Speaker 1: you had that mit for? Is this the twenty twenty mint?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: The other ones kind of get beat up a little bit,
Speaker 3: so you got to figure it out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you try to keep him as long as possible.
Speaker 2: Sometimes it's this is not in the cards, man.
Speaker 1: I knew you when you were a second baseman. That's
Speaker 1: how far we go.
Speaker 3: We go way back that so I remember you too.
Speaker 3: I remember saying, who is this guy in the clubhouse?
Speaker 3: How do they allow him in the clubhous?
Speaker 1: But you did not like me at first, but the
Speaker 1: vast a charm wore you down.
Speaker 3: Man, I understand how you got a wife. Yeah, it's
Speaker 3: gonna just kid that.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot for the time, Austin, and it's awesome
Speaker 1: to have you back. It wouldn't be the same without you,
Speaker 1: without Kik among the others.
Speaker 2: Thanks for saying