Speaker 1: Welcome the Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: David Vasse with you until eight o'clock tonight and we
Speaker 2: are at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I stayed here after the Dodgers and Rockies played. So
Speaker 2: Dodgers lost today two to nothing. They were shut out,
Speaker 2: but they got a good performance from their starter, Landon Nack,
Speaker 2: who is vying for a spot in the rotation or
Speaker 2: in the bullpen Jerry Carroll's pitch. We'll get to all
Speaker 2: that in a second, but want to let you know
Speaker 2: what we had on the show. A good show for
Speaker 2: you tonight, our only show of the week because of
Speaker 2: UCLA basketball, Clipper basketball. This is our only show of
Speaker 2: the week and Mark Pryor is going to join us
Speaker 2: in ten minutes. Also, you'll hear my full conversation with
Speaker 2: Keith a Hernandez. He was really candid about the leadership
Speaker 2: role he took upon himself last year all the way
Speaker 2: through October to the World Series championship. And also our
Speaker 2: guy Jose Mota, who checks in during the regular season
Speaker 2: on a night lea basis to Dodger Talk. We will
Speaker 2: check in with Jose. He was in the booth with
Speaker 2: me today. We watched the game together, so decided to
Speaker 2: have Jose on the show as well. As far as
Speaker 2: today's game goes the result, you would like to see
Speaker 2: the Dodgers win more games than what they are in spring,
Speaker 2: But today was all about Freddie Freeman. Freddie Freeman made
Speaker 2: his Cactus League debut today, his first game of the spring,
Speaker 2: and in his very first at bat, Freddie Bean Freddie
Speaker 2: hit a sharp base hit to right field. He finished
Speaker 2: one for three, and after the game today he talked
Speaker 2: about how this right ankle that he had surgery on
Speaker 2: twelve weeks ago today is still going to have to
Speaker 2: be managed when the season begins.
Speaker 3: I still feel it. I wish I could tell you
Speaker 3: it felt like my left line, but it doesn't. But
Speaker 3: I feel really good in a good spot to be
Speaker 3: able to go out there and compete and perform at
Speaker 3: what I feel capable of. I do think I'm going
Speaker 3: to be getting a lot of treatments and taping for
Speaker 3: at least probably till I think we have it in
Speaker 3: our head, probably till the All Star break. I would
Speaker 3: assume it's just hard because you're on your feet all
Speaker 3: day long. It's a very lower body. Injuries are hard
Speaker 3: to rehab, especially the ankles, So I do believe it's
Speaker 3: going to be a lot longer treatment wise than I
Speaker 3: would like because I like to socialize in the training room,
Speaker 3: not actually use the training room. But they've been so
Speaker 3: good and they've been helping me get on the field.
Speaker 3: I mean twelve weeks post off today, so I feel
Speaker 3: like that was a pretty good number. And you know,
Speaker 3: getting back on the field and feeling as good as
Speaker 3: I do, I think that's pretty big.
Speaker 1: Do you have any concern about the footwork around the bag?
Speaker 1: Is that?
Speaker 3: So Tomorrow I am going obviously I'm not playing, but
Speaker 3: it's gonna be a full baseball date and then I'm
Speaker 3: gonna do like PLOS, so there'll be a lot of
Speaker 3: jumping tomorrow. I think that's the last one. It's more
Speaker 3: of the high throw in coming and landing back down.
Speaker 3: That's kind of our last little hurdle. So I will
Speaker 3: do a lot of jumping stuff tomorrow and PLOS, and
Speaker 3: then as well on Saturday, even though I'm gonna dh,
Speaker 3: I'm still gonna do a lot of jumping stuff because
Speaker 3: I would like to play Sunday in the field with
Speaker 3: the day off the next day to see how I
Speaker 3: respond playing the field. And not having to do much
Speaker 3: that next day, and I think that's big. If I
Speaker 3: could play Sunday. I think I'm trying to talk myself
Speaker 3: into it, So if you guys want to put that
Speaker 3: out there, that would help too. But I like they
Speaker 3: wanted me to kind of be on the backfield today,
Speaker 3: back at home for a more controlled environment.
Speaker 4: But I like to play.
Speaker 3: You know, I knew I was good enough and felt
Speaker 3: good in my ankle to play today, So show his
Speaker 3: dhing tomorrow, then I can DH Saturday. I was trying
Speaker 3: to kick him out Sunday, but they're gonna let him
Speaker 3: DH Sunday, so I'm gonna I'm shooting for Sunday to
Speaker 3: play to see how I can respond on Monday with
Speaker 3: the day off.
Speaker 2: Freddy wants to be out there every day, so for
Speaker 2: him to start to concede that he may not play
Speaker 2: day games after night games, that's significant. And for him
Speaker 2: to say that the Dodgers and Freddie are going to
Speaker 2: have to continue to have aggressive treatment all the way
Speaker 2: up to the All Star break, I feel like that's
Speaker 2: going to be something to keep an eye on as well.
Speaker 2: Who plays first base if Freddie cannot. They got Miguel Rojas.
Speaker 2: They got keythy A Hernandez to be able to play
Speaker 2: first base as well. Now it's funny. This was the
Speaker 2: first time we've talked to Freddy in a group setting
Speaker 2: this spring, and where he was speaking to us when
Speaker 2: he came out of the game. Here at Salt River Field,
Speaker 2: the clubhouse is beyond the center field fence, and that's
Speaker 2: the way players leave the stadium as well, so there
Speaker 2: is an overhang where fans can see the players walking
Speaker 2: beyond the center field fence, and the fans were there
Speaker 2: watching us interview Freddie Freeman, and all of a sudden
Speaker 2: a Freddie Freeman chant broke out in the middle of
Speaker 2: our media session, which I thought was hilarious.
Speaker 1: And how can you ignore that, you know.
Speaker 3: Maybe a day game after night game in the first
Speaker 3: couple of weeks. I do get it, but I will
Speaker 3: still fight for myself to be in that line up
Speaker 3: as long as I'm feeling good.
Speaker 1: I get two. It's a game can fringing out line up.
Speaker 1: That's how I view it. When you go to the
Speaker 1: grocery store, do people start chanting that?
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's not that the people come up, no, So yeah,
Speaker 3: it's kind of everywhere we go David.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure how many times Freddy Freeman ever went
Speaker 2: to the grocery store, even before hitting that walk off
Speaker 2: Grand Slam in Game one, So I thought that was
Speaker 2: really cool and I wanted to share it with you.
Speaker 2: And it's great seeing all the fans at all these
Speaker 2: stadiums that are showing up for the Dodgers. I enjoy
Speaker 2: seeing them all talking to them all. Now, another part
Speaker 2: of today's game that was celebrated a little bit too
Speaker 2: much before because it wasn't going to materialize was the
Speaker 2: fact that Eric Carros's sons, Jared Carros and Kyle Carros
Speaker 2: were going to.
Speaker 1: Play in this game today.
Speaker 2: Even Jared told me this morning before we left for
Speaker 2: Scottsdale that he knew the schedule and it wasn't going
Speaker 2: to line up for him to face his brother Kyle,
Speaker 2: because Kyle Carros is also in big league camp, but
Speaker 2: he was not in the starting lineup today, And Jared
Speaker 2: told me that Kyle was very aware of the fact
Speaker 2: that he wasn't going to come into the game until later,
Speaker 2: and Jared was going to start the game, and Jared
Speaker 2: was going to come in in the early.
Speaker 1: Part of the game.
Speaker 2: So it just never was going to materialize that head
Speaker 2: to head matchup of the brothers Caros. In today's game,
Speaker 2: Eric Carros, the all time LA Dodger home run king,
Speaker 2: was in attendance, not sitting, because he has made it
Speaker 2: quite known that he's very nervous whenever his son pitches
Speaker 2: or Kyle's playing, So he was standing on the concourse
Speaker 2: and Sportsnet LA caught him out there just basically having
Speaker 2: the nerves do somersaults in his stomach.
Speaker 1: But Jared Carroll's pitch well today.
Speaker 2: Kyle Carros struck out when he faced Anthony Bunda in
Speaker 2: the eighth innings, so that was cool to see. Great
Speaker 2: to see Eric Carross be able to enjoy both his
Speaker 2: sons in the same game. Another part of this game,
Speaker 2: even though the Dodgers lost two to nothing, was the
Speaker 2: fact that Dave Roberts saw Austin Barnes, who caught the
Speaker 2: game today, start the game today behind the plate, overturn
Speaker 2: two calls by the homeplate umpire, and I asked, Dave,
Speaker 2: you know, now that we've had two weeks of spring
Speaker 2: training games, what's his thoughts on this review challenge where
Speaker 2: you can appeal balls and strikes in certain stadiums.
Speaker 5: I think for me, it's been all positive. I think
Speaker 5: the players seem to like it, you know.
Speaker 1: I don't see really any downside.
Speaker 5: I think the time to kind of turn it around
Speaker 5: and make a decision, I think is quick enough. And
Speaker 5: ultimately you're trying to get calls right, so it puts
Speaker 5: the you know, gives players an opportunity to challenge if
Speaker 5: there's a big situation or account.
Speaker 4: I think it's great.
Speaker 2: Have you had an opportunity or has there been any
Speaker 2: exchange with umpires before during games about just how it's
Speaker 2: on for them?
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 5: I think, like most things, it's a mixed bag. I
Speaker 5: think some umpires feel that it's a good thing. Some
Speaker 5: umpires really don't care for it. But I think it's
Speaker 5: going to be. It's coming, and so I think we
Speaker 5: all got a wrapperheads around that.
Speaker 2: Did Barnes look back at you when he struck out
Speaker 2: that he wanted to challenge.
Speaker 4: That he did?
Speaker 5: We had two, We used to have two on the table.
Speaker 5: So I said, if it was a leverage count, you know,
Speaker 5: and if you felt that you were that confident, But
Speaker 5: he just didn't seem as confident on that one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Austin Barnes actually struck out on three pitches. The
Speaker 2: third one was way inside and he was looking back
Speaker 2: at Dave Roberts wondering if he should challenge it. But yeah,
Speaker 2: Barnes had a very interesting game when it came to
Speaker 2: the challenges and was right on all three even though
Speaker 2: he pulled the trigger on two as the catcher for
Speaker 2: the Dodgers. So those were my takeaways from the game today.
Speaker 2: It was an eventful game today even though the score
Speaker 2: was two nothing in the Rockies' favor. And tomorrow night,
Speaker 2: the Dodgers and Angels are going to hook up for
Speaker 2: the first time this spring training. It's going to be
Speaker 2: a camelback ranch under the lights, and Will Smith is
Speaker 2: going to catch his first game and play in his
Speaker 2: first game this spring. Show Aotani is also going to
Speaker 2: play in his first game of the spring as the
Speaker 2: Dodgers DH tomorrow night against the Halo, so that's something
Speaker 2: to look forward to Tomorrow night.
Speaker 1: We are not carrying that game Tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Night because of Clippers basketball, but we will carry both
Speaker 2: Saturday and Sunday games right here at noon or twelve
Speaker 2: oh five. Our pregame coverage beginning at eleven thirty on
Speaker 2: Saturday and Sunday So that's the schedule coming up for
Speaker 2: Dodger Baseball a little bit in the next three days
Speaker 2: and next week. We only have one Dodger talk show
Speaker 2: next Thursday, and I'll keep you updated on when we
Speaker 2: will be carrying the Dodger games next week after Saturday
Speaker 2: and Sunday. You can follow me on Twitter at the
Speaker 2: Real unders Scored dv to get all those schedules. Also,
Speaker 2: you know, we talked to Freddie Freeman earlier today. I'm
Speaker 2: not sure if you caught this, but it does deserve
Speaker 2: some attention. I'm not gonna go crazy over it, but
Speaker 2: this falls under the department of sour grapes. Nestor Cortes,
Speaker 2: who is now with the Milwaukee Brewers, was felt the
Speaker 2: need to say publicly he believes the Yankees last year
Speaker 2: were the best team and that the Dodgers got kind
Speaker 2: of lucky beating the Yankees. Oh really, Nestor, I mean,
Speaker 2: come on, are you really gonna say that. I'm not
Speaker 2: endorsing anything Chris Taylor, Joe Kelly, or Miguel Rojas had
Speaker 2: to say about the Yankees, but I'm certainly not going
Speaker 2: to stand for Nestor Cortes popping off and basically, you know,
Speaker 2: saying the Yankees were the better team and the Dodgers
Speaker 2: got lucky. If we would have lost, if we would
Speaker 2: have won Game one, then we would have won the
Speaker 2: World Series. Game five. Blah blah blah blah blah. Nestor Cortes,
Speaker 2: you lost the game. And as our good friend Jim
Speaker 2: Rome would like to always say, scoreboard, Nestor, the Dodgers
Speaker 2: beat you in five games. It wasn't a seven game series. Yes,
Speaker 2: you beat yourself, but those are the differences between a
Speaker 2: championship team and a team that is not really a
Speaker 2: championship team. I mean, the Dodgers did everything better than
Speaker 2: the Yankees, and news to Nestor Cortes, the superstars for
Speaker 2: the Dodgers delivered as they are supposed to, while the
Speaker 2: Yankee superstars were nowhere to be found. So come on,
Speaker 2: Nestor Cortez, give me a break. You're really gonna say
Speaker 2: now in spring training that the Yankees were the better team.
Speaker 2: And I honestly don't believe the Yankees are going to
Speaker 2: recover from last year. I don't even see them winning
Speaker 2: their own division if they do. I still feel like
Speaker 2: the Boston Red Sox are going to have a very
Speaker 2: good year and may even are built for October to
Speaker 2: knock out the Yankees and a few other teams in
Speaker 2: the American League. Before Alex Bregman signed with Boston, Vegas
Speaker 2: was saying the Red Sox were only going to win
Speaker 2: about an eighty game clip. Now it's at eighty six.
Speaker 2: I got the over on the Red Sox winning eighty
Speaker 2: six games this year, and I got the Red Sox
Speaker 2: being a better team than the Yankees.
Speaker 1: The Yankees are falling apart.
Speaker 2: John Carlos Stanton now has left the team with personal issues,
Speaker 2: Juan Soto is now a met They're gonna have to
Speaker 2: do it with pitching and defense. And I don't see
Speaker 2: Father Time all of a sudden saying bye bye to
Speaker 2: Paul Goldschmidt. Father Time caught up to Paul Goldschmidt last year.
Speaker 2: I don't see it getting much better. Defensively, He'll be
Speaker 2: better than Rizzo, but I just don't see the dynamics
Speaker 2: of their offense being that much better Without Juan Soto
Speaker 2: and with Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmith, they'll be better defensively,
Speaker 2: but I don't see them being as good as they
Speaker 2: were a year ago. So, Nestor Cortes, I think you
Speaker 2: just probably should be quiet about last year. I really do,
Speaker 2: and so should all of the Yankees. Really, the Dodgers
Speaker 2: beat them, and a lot of people view it as
Speaker 2: the Dodgers manhandled the Yankees. It could have been a
Speaker 2: different series if the Yankees won Game one. It could
Speaker 2: have been a different series if the Yankees held onto
Speaker 2: a five to nothing lead. But don't act like the
Speaker 2: Dodgers did not have the players or were not capable
Speaker 2: of doing what they did last year. All Right, we're
Speaker 2: gonna take a time out here on Dodger Talk. When
Speaker 2: we come back, you'll hear from Dodger pitching coach Mark Pryor,
Speaker 2: who will take us through the sequence of events of
Speaker 2: Walker Bueller leaving the Dodger dugout and going to the
Speaker 2: bullpen during Game five to come to their rescue. So
Speaker 2: you want to hear that story, and we'll talk to
Speaker 2: Prior about what things are going on with his pitching staff.
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2: David Vassay from spring training with you until eight o'clock
Speaker 2: on a five to seventy LA Sports, your Home of
Speaker 2: the World champion Dodgers.
Speaker 1: Nestor Cortes, and.
Speaker 2: We're we join right now by maybe the busiest man
Speaker 2: in all a Dodger camp, and that is the one
Speaker 2: and only pitching coach entering his sixth season in this
Speaker 2: role for the Dodgers, that is Mark Pryor.
Speaker 1: Mark. Thanks a lot for the time, appreciate.
Speaker 4: It, No problem anytime.
Speaker 2: Let's just get everything out of the way that we
Speaker 2: need to get out of the way. Blake's now go ahead.
Speaker 2: You could roast me for that if you want, and
Speaker 2: then we'll get on. We'll move on with the interview.
Speaker 4: No bike, bike's Bike's been great.
Speaker 6: H he's been He's been enjoyed to having camp and
Speaker 6: it's nice to have him on our side.
Speaker 4: Finally, all right.
Speaker 2: The other thing that's been burning in my skull the
Speaker 2: entire offseason was getting your first hand account of Walker
Speaker 2: Buehler going out to the bullpen kind of on his
Speaker 2: own and then coming in in Game five of the
Speaker 2: World Series to close it out. Can you take us
Speaker 2: through those events?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I can take you through.
Speaker 6: I mean I can confirm, I can confirm what he said,
Speaker 6: uh on some other platforms is pretty much true. I
Speaker 6: was unaware of a lot of those conversations that had
Speaker 6: happened throughout the course of the day, and right around
Speaker 6: the fourth fish maybe fifth inning, I got a tap
Speaker 6: on the shoulder saying, hey, Walker's walking down to the bullpen.
Speaker 6: And I was kind of like okay and called him,
Speaker 6: called down and said what are you doing? And he
Speaker 6: kind of said, hey, well, you know they told me
Speaker 6: if it got you know, if I got squirrelier sideways,
Speaker 6: and I said.
Speaker 4: Okay, I'll call you later.
Speaker 6: And and then obviously it got you know, got crazy,
Speaker 6: and uh called down again and said where are you at?
Speaker 6: And he's like, I'll let you know here in a minute,
Speaker 6: which for me was code of yeah, okay, has no idea.
Speaker 4: He hasn't thrown yet. So knew where he was at.
Speaker 6: I mean I knew that, you know, if he was
Speaker 6: down there, he could pity obviously to to what extent.
Speaker 6: You know, those are always the you know, those questions
Speaker 6: of like is it is it ten pitches? Can he
Speaker 6: go twenty pitches? You know, you don't know. Fortunately we
Speaker 6: didn't need that many sou but he was yeah, it's
Speaker 6: all I mean, that's what it is. It was all true,
Speaker 6: Like he had conversations. That's what Walker does. And uh,
Speaker 6: you know worked out well for everybody.
Speaker 2: I'm just curious from your standpoint. You're the pitching coach.
Speaker 2: You're not privy to whatever he told Andrew and Gomes
Speaker 2: on the bus. You hang up the phone to the
Speaker 2: bullpen after talking to him. What's going through your mind
Speaker 2: at that point in time in the game, do you
Speaker 2: what did you tell Dave Roberts just because of where
Speaker 2: the game was at after Jack didn't go very deep.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean I basically told Doc like he's you know,
Speaker 6: he's down there. He says he's available to pitch, and
Speaker 6: you know, I think we all were under the assumption
Speaker 6: it was probably you know one, you know, you had
Speaker 6: one shot basically, whether that was one clean inning or
Speaker 6: just at the ending clean or if we had to bring.
Speaker 4: Him in the middle of an inning.
Speaker 6: It wasn't gonna be a situation where he sat back
Speaker 6: down and probably went back out. So we just had
Speaker 6: to kind of see where we're at, and you know,
Speaker 6: Blake is what Blake did got us to the point
Speaker 6: where we could use him in that situation. I think
Speaker 6: if if Blake doesn't get as deep as he did,
Speaker 6: you know, then we're making a decision on reusing you know,
Speaker 6: Walker potentially in the eighth, and then you know, we're
Speaker 6: pretty short at that point, so I'm not really sure
Speaker 6: what we were going to do in the ninth. So
Speaker 6: I think a lot of the credit for Walker even
Speaker 6: pitching that game really goes to to Blake trying and
Speaker 6: being able to get us get us through the eighth.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. I've mentioned this
Speaker 2: to Dave a few times. I'm a firm believer that
Speaker 2: one of the great moments of that World Series run
Speaker 2: was Dave going out there without having his mind made
Speaker 2: up on whether he was going to take Trinon out
Speaker 2: of that game at that point in time. What did
Speaker 2: you think when Dave left the dugout and went out
Speaker 2: there to just check the temperature.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean it's one of those things where it's
Speaker 6: it's not an easy decision for a manager, any manager,
Speaker 6: And honestly, and you know, some of those decisions are
Speaker 6: easier than others when it's June second, you know, on
Speaker 6: a Tuesday night, but you know, playoff baseball, they're.
Speaker 4: Not easy decisions.
Speaker 6: You're making a decision on what you're looking at, what
Speaker 6: he how he's been throwing, the baseball knowing your bullpen
Speaker 6: is down there with the guys who are on fumes,
Speaker 6: especially that late in October. But you know, Ben and
Speaker 6: obviously just pitched Landon probably wasn't in a position to pitch.
Speaker 6: You have Walker who had pitched two days before that,
Speaker 6: So you're you're dealing with a fatigued groups. You don't
Speaker 6: know what's coming out of that bullpen, and you know,
Speaker 6: I've never been in that situation as a manager, but
Speaker 6: you're going out there to figure out is the guy
Speaker 6: on the mound, you know, does he still have enough
Speaker 6: you know, energy and enough fuel in the tank to
Speaker 6: to be able to compete at a high level. And
Speaker 6: so those are those discussions when you get out there
Speaker 6: and you got to make, you know, kind of a
Speaker 6: game time decision, you know, in the moment, you know,
Speaker 6: do you stick with what you're seeing and based off
Speaker 6: of what he's telling you and or do you go
Speaker 6: to a situation where you have a lot more uncertainty
Speaker 6: in questions. So it's a you know, what to say,
Speaker 6: there's a right or wrong answer, there isn't. It's it's
Speaker 6: one of those things where it's literally a gut it's
Speaker 6: a gut feel like in the moment, and you got
Speaker 6: to make that decision, you know, looking at a guy
Speaker 6: in the eye, and it's uh, it's not easy. It's
Speaker 6: not And those are those playoff decisions that just aren't easy.
Speaker 6: There's no there's nothing objectively, there's nothing subjectively that's really
Speaker 6: going to tell you what to do other than you
Speaker 6: just kind of you got to make a call one
Speaker 6: way or the other.
Speaker 2: Have you gone back to watch game five? I know
Speaker 2: your son Matthew is around the team a lot. He
Speaker 2: loves the team, he loves the game. Have you gone
Speaker 2: back to watch any of the games?
Speaker 4: Uh? I would you know?
Speaker 1: He's he's watched them.
Speaker 4: I've watched bits and pieces.
Speaker 6: Obviously, I watch it through a little bit of a
Speaker 6: different lens because I'm trying to remember, you know, what
Speaker 6: I was thinking in the moment. Yeah, I mean, you know,
Speaker 6: you watch parts of it, you watch highlights. You know,
Speaker 6: you can't get enough of watching Freddie's you know, Homer,
Speaker 6: you know. So yeah, I've watched. I don't think I've
Speaker 6: watched it from first pitch till the end. I don't
Speaker 6: know if I need to raise my raise my heart
Speaker 6: heartbeat anymore than I need to, But there's a lot
Speaker 6: of moments that you want to go back and you
Speaker 6: just kind of want to have the you know, the
Speaker 6: the perspective of you know, seeing it from the TV
Speaker 6: and seeing the crowds, you know, react to certain things.
Speaker 4: So I've watched I've watched highlights.
Speaker 2: I guess Mark pryor the player, the pitcher, came close
Speaker 2: to getting the opportunity to play in the World Series,
Speaker 2: and now you win the World Series as a pitching coach.
Speaker 2: How rewarding was that between being a player and being
Speaker 2: a coach and winning the World Series?
Speaker 6: I mean, you know, obviously, you know, winning as a
Speaker 6: player is everything you dream about, you know, growing up
Speaker 6: and being a part of it and celebrating on the field.
Speaker 4: Coaching is is the same.
Speaker 6: I mean, you you always you do this because you
Speaker 6: obviously everybody wants to win a championship. You do it
Speaker 6: from a coaching standpoint because you want to try to
Speaker 6: help people, you know, go out there and perform and
Speaker 6: you want to be, you know, be a part of it.
Speaker 6: There's nothing better than winning, you know, no matter how
Speaker 6: you slice it, you know, and having a chance, you know,
Speaker 6: to win it last year and twenty it's just a
Speaker 6: different it's a different perspective, but it doesn't change like
Speaker 6: putting on a ring. Is is why you always get
Speaker 6: into sports. You always want to win championships in the journey. Honestly,
Speaker 6: the journey to get to that is probably sometimes.
Speaker 4: You know, more rewarding than the actual results.
Speaker 6: But when you get both, it's it's a great it's
Speaker 6: a great feeling.
Speaker 2: Before I let you go. And Mark Pryor, Dodgers pitching coach,
Speaker 2: is our guest. The bullpen unprecedented, the way they kind
Speaker 2: of carried you guys through with limited amount of starters.
Speaker 2: What's it like in spring training now? The residual effect
Speaker 2: of pitching longer and deeper than they ever have before
Speaker 2: and being leaned upon.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, no, I mean they're all those are all
Speaker 6: real things, you know. I think that's why there's always
Speaker 6: a uh, I guess, a championship hangover in all sports.
Speaker 6: You know, you're playing longer, guys are banged up when
Speaker 6: you're trying to win the thing. You know, we got
Speaker 6: some guys obviously they are still kind of nursing back
Speaker 6: from some of their injuries. You're trying to manage a
Speaker 6: little bit of rest and then a short offseason even
Speaker 6: shorter going to Japan.
Speaker 4: You know, I think our guys are in a good spot,
Speaker 4: you know right now.
Speaker 6: You know, we've got them going, you know, at.
Speaker 4: A normal pace.
Speaker 6: I think we'll monitor kind of their workload through spring
Speaker 6: training and through maybe the first week or two of
Speaker 6: the season. But they're all extremely professional. They know what
Speaker 6: they you know, they know what they're at, you know,
Speaker 6: they know how to prepare. But what they did last
Speaker 6: year was again, it was unprecedented, and we knew we
Speaker 6: needed some we needed performance is like that from individuals
Speaker 6: and then the staff collectively to put us in.
Speaker 4: A position to strike.
Speaker 6: And we knew we were gonna take some take some
Speaker 6: lumps along the way, and fortunately we had some guys
Speaker 6: step up in those games that allowed us to.
Speaker 4: Do what we needed to do with our bullpenper.
Speaker 1: Strike hard strike first.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Mark Pryor, Dodgers pitching coach, is our guest show.
Speaker 2: Heyo Tani. Mark is starting to experiment with pitching out
Speaker 2: of the wind up. Where did that all come from?
Speaker 6: I mean that's something that he was looking to do.
Speaker 6: And like I said, I think he's mentioned he's always
Speaker 6: trying to get better and do some things, and he
Speaker 6: wanted to feel some energy. Wasn't something that you know necessarily,
Speaker 6: you know, I brought to the table something that he did,
Speaker 6: and I like it. I mean, I always like guys
Speaker 6: and deliveries. Sometimes you move guys to stretch only to
Speaker 6: simplify things, but I like when guys have some athleticism
Speaker 6: and some rhythm in the in their in their delivery.
Speaker 6: I think it helps her timing. And so I think
Speaker 6: that's what he's messing around with right now.
Speaker 2: Do you believe part of the equation is to try
Speaker 2: to take some stress off the elbow or the arm.
Speaker 6: I think it can help with guys is sequencing and
Speaker 6: timing that ultimately will take some, hopefully some stress off
Speaker 6: an arm. To say that pitching out the wind up
Speaker 6: is less stressful than pitching out the stretches, No, but
Speaker 6: it's it's again, it's all about getting into certain.
Speaker 4: Positions for that individual.
Speaker 6: Some guys do it better with the help of the
Speaker 6: wind up and the timing. Some guys don't. So it's
Speaker 6: you know, it's unique to that person. But again, I
Speaker 6: think for him right now, you know, trying to get
Speaker 6: a little bit more rhythm in than diming and so
Speaker 6: it's not so choppy so to speak, and make sure
Speaker 6: he's not in kind of rehab mode and he's in
Speaker 6: more of like I'm getting ready to pitch and compete
Speaker 6: in games.
Speaker 2: Thanks a lot for the time, Mark, congratulations on being
Speaker 2: a two time World Series champion as the Dodgers pitching coach,
Speaker 2: and we look forward to what this staff has to
Speaker 2: bring for us.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's gonna be another fun year and we're all
Speaker 6: looking forward to it.
Speaker 2: There he goes the Dodgers two time World Series champion
Speaker 2: pitching coach Mark Pryor. When we continue from Salt River
Speaker 2: Fields here on Dodger Talk, we will check in with
Speaker 2: my guy, Jose Mota spring debut in twenty twenty five,
Speaker 2: and also you'll hear my conversation with keyk Hernandez on
Speaker 2: how his leadership translated into Yama Moto being as dominant
Speaker 2: as he was in October last year. Don't go away
Speaker 2: more Dodger Talk until eight o'clock with David Vasse on
Speaker 2: AM five to seventy. LA Sports your home for the
Speaker 2: world champion Los Angeles Dodgers far and few between because
Speaker 2: of UCLA basketball Clipper basketball, but you can listen to
Speaker 2: all our interviews during the pregame shows that we carry
Speaker 2: on the iHeartRadio app and also we will have Saturday
Speaker 2: and Sunday's game for the Dodgers coming up this weekend.
Speaker 2: So a lot of Dodger baseball during the spring as
Speaker 2: they get ready for Tokyo, Japan and opening up the
Speaker 2: twenty twenty five season. We had a chance to catch
Speaker 2: up with keyk Hernandez and it would not have been
Speaker 2: the same without Key K on this Dodger team to
Speaker 2: defend their World Series championship. He said some interesting things
Speaker 2: as well about taking another step in maturity as far
Speaker 2: as becoming a leader. What would it be for the
Speaker 2: Dodgers to try to repeat and defend their World championship
Speaker 2: without one of the key members of their ball club
Speaker 2: ever since the Dodgers acquired him in that huge three
Speaker 2: way trade back in twenty fifteen with the Marlins, the Angels.
Speaker 2: All of that and here he is in living color
Speaker 2: at Camelback Ranch before games started. Keith k Hernandez, kiy K,
Speaker 2: thanks a lot for the time and men, it would
Speaker 2: not have been the same without you.
Speaker 7: Gotta love a good big three way trade.
Speaker 1: You gotta love it. You and Austin Barnes are still here.
Speaker 7: Still here, survived a lot of things.
Speaker 2: Yeah, when you look back at your journey and where
Speaker 2: you're at right now and the reputation that you've built
Speaker 2: for yourself, do you have time to reflect on that
Speaker 2: or are you still so much in the moment.
Speaker 7: There's time just to think about stuff, but.
Speaker 8: You just want to be in the moment, because this
Speaker 8: career can be really long, but it feels so short.
Speaker 8: It feels like yesterday that I got here, and here
Speaker 8: I am ten years later, been acquired four different times
Speaker 8: by this organization, and you know, it's it's been an
Speaker 8: honor to to wear this uniform for this long and
Speaker 8: to really to to be able to play.
Speaker 7: In so many big games.
Speaker 8: I feel like this has been a blessing for my
Speaker 8: career too, you know, to be in the postseason every
Speaker 8: single year, that's what we play the game. Yeah we're
Speaker 8: making money, but but at the end of the day,
Speaker 8: you play the game to win. And uh, that's something
Speaker 8: that we've done here for a very long time and
Speaker 8: I hope to keep doing.
Speaker 2: You had such a big part in the Dodgers championship
Speaker 2: run last year. It felt like when Key K got
Speaker 2: into the starting lineup is when the.
Speaker 1: Dodgers really took off.
Speaker 2: Have you had a chance to go back and watch
Speaker 2: any of those games or is that something you don't do.
Speaker 7: I started doing it.
Speaker 8: I watched every game against the Padres, and then and
Speaker 8: then life happened and I wasn't able to continue. I
Speaker 8: was I was gonna plan and watch the whole postseason,
Speaker 8: but I I haven't really gotten to watch too much
Speaker 8: of the Mets and the Yankees. Uh, they were playing
Speaker 8: highlights earlier, and there was just a lot of things
Speaker 8: that I couldn't remember that happened.
Speaker 7: But uh, but yeah, man, it was. It was a
Speaker 7: special run.
Speaker 4: It was kind of.
Speaker 8: Weird in the sense that it felt like it lasted
Speaker 8: another season, but at the same time, it flew by,
Speaker 8: So you know, just you're so in the moment that
Speaker 8: it's kind of like you're blacked out for nine innings
Speaker 8: and you know, you're so mentally exhausted and in that
Speaker 8: entire month that there's no really much time to think
Speaker 8: about stuff.
Speaker 7: But uh, yeah, I'm.
Speaker 8: Glad that Uh, I'm glad that I was able to
Speaker 8: be a big part of it.
Speaker 7: You know, I won. We won in twenty and I didn't.
Speaker 8: Have as meaning role as I did last year, and
Speaker 8: I get it to when you win, there's nothing like it,
Speaker 8: but you know, just to be being able to do
Speaker 8: it both ways, it added a little more special special
Speaker 8: ness to this one, just considering the fact that I
Speaker 8: started every game after a Game four against at Padres.
Speaker 1: Yeah you did. No coincidence. The Dodgers took off after that,
Speaker 1: and Keik Hernandez, who missed out on the ring ceremony
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one, is going to be on that
Speaker 1: third baseline wearing a Dodger uniform. And I'm as excited
Speaker 1: for you as anybody to be able to be showered
Speaker 1: by the fans that day.
Speaker 8: Absolutely last time I was, I knew that I was leaving,
Speaker 8: so it didn't matter if we won or didn't win.
Speaker 8: It was going to be a fact that I was gonna,
Speaker 8: you know, go go on a different journey.
Speaker 7: And I was totally fine with it. I accepted it all.
Speaker 8: And then when that day came, I I felt left
Speaker 8: out and I felt like I wanted to be a
Speaker 8: part of that just for that one day, but obviously
Speaker 8: that didn't happen. And to get to come back this
Speaker 8: time and where that gold uniform and get that ring
Speaker 8: in front of my in front of that home home
Speaker 8: crowd instead of getting it in a box in the mail.
Speaker 7: Delivered to Fenway Park is a little different.
Speaker 1: Oh that's how you got the ring.
Speaker 7: Yeah, that's how I got the ring. We weren't going
Speaker 7: to play the Dodgers.
Speaker 8: So the team wanted to wait until we played the
Speaker 8: Angels in late July to come bring it to me.
Speaker 8: And I was like, look, guys, I don't really want
Speaker 8: to wait this long to get my ring. And if
Speaker 8: I was playing at Dodger Stadium, I get it. But
Speaker 8: to do it in a private room and Anaheim ain't it.
Speaker 8: So I would much rather get my ring asap, even
Speaker 8: if it's in the mail. And I think this time
Speaker 8: is going to be a little more special.
Speaker 1: Kei k A.
Speaker 2: Andrew Friedman said last week that he was so impressed
Speaker 2: by your leadership and the growth and just specifically last year,
Speaker 2: how you really were one of the leaders for the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: Can you describe what he was talking about? Was it
Speaker 2: leading by example? Did you have to pick the team
Speaker 2: up in the clubhouse? What was that leadership that he
Speaker 2: was describing.
Speaker 8: For the most part, I I am a leader back
Speaker 8: sample I think just because of the personality. Guys know
Speaker 8: that I like to keep keep things light. But then
Speaker 8: at the same time, I'm very I'm a very intense
Speaker 8: person and uh, when it's uh, when it's nut nutcrunched
Speaker 8: time and things aren't going your way, it's very easy
Speaker 8: to you know, to to to let the noise, the
Speaker 8: outside noise, get really loud. And for me, I've been
Speaker 8: a part of so many of these runs, and uh,
Speaker 8: you kind of know how to shut things up, shut
Speaker 8: things on and off, and uh, you know what it
Speaker 8: takes to win. So I went once I saw that,
Speaker 8: and and it's it's kind of things about like knowing
Speaker 8: yourself as a as a your role within the clubhouse.
Speaker 8: And at that time, you know, it was as much
Speaker 8: as it is my time to to be light and all,
Speaker 8: it was also my time to to pick people up
Speaker 8: and it was time to be that vocal leader. And I, uh,
Speaker 8: I say, you know what, if guys don't like it
Speaker 8: and we go down, so be it. I might not
Speaker 8: be here next year, but I really want to win,
Speaker 8: and I know what it takes to win. So I'm
Speaker 8: going to try and bring the best out of people,
Speaker 8: and I'm gonna, you know, call people outld have got
Speaker 8: to call people out or pick people up if they
Speaker 8: need to be picked up. And there's a lot of
Speaker 8: conversation with guys throughout October and uh, you know, talking
Speaker 8: whether it was in the clubhouse or at hotel hotel
Speaker 8: rooms or going out for a Starbucks run with Yoshinobu
Speaker 8: and having a couple hour talk with him, things like that, and.
Speaker 7: I just decided, you know what, I'm just I'm.
Speaker 8: Gonna do this, and if guys don't like it, whatever,
Speaker 8: but we need to this.
Speaker 7: I feel like this is what we need right now
Speaker 7: as a team. And that's kind of what I did.
Speaker 1: That's like a no regret situation, right, Yeah.
Speaker 8: I mean, I've got ten plus years in the league.
Speaker 8: I've you know, I feel like guys, you know, guys
Speaker 8: would understand where I was coming from. And at that time,
Speaker 8: we needed somebody to do it, and I was glad
Speaker 8: to do it.
Speaker 7: And you know, it worked. Could have gone either way,
Speaker 7: but it worked.
Speaker 2: It worked, and Key k Hernandez works not only in
Speaker 2: October but during the entire regular season.
Speaker 1: Great to have you here early this spring.
Speaker 8: Yeah, good to have a full spring. It's gonna be nice.
Speaker 8: I appreciate those kind words. It means a lot. But
Speaker 8: at the same time, I know you're saying all this
Speaker 8: because you're really happy that your best friend and all
Speaker 8: the baseball Blake Snell is on this side. And you
Speaker 8: don't have to get all jittery when we go to
Speaker 8: San fran or they come into us. You get Blake
Speaker 8: for one hundred and sixty two plus games, so I
Speaker 8: know you're gonna be in a great boot all year.
Speaker 2: Oh, he's gonna be jealous when he sees the relationships
Speaker 2: I have with Key K.
Speaker 1: Hello, Sorry, snell Zilla.
Speaker 8: I don't know if he's gonna be that because you're
Speaker 8: gonna be all over him regardless.
Speaker 1: So we'll be together in Tokyo, me, you and snell Zilla.
Speaker 7: Let's do a sushi time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, key K, thanks a lot. I know everybody in
Speaker 2: LA is so happy you're back. And we'll see you
Speaker 2: when games start here in Cactus League.
Speaker 7: Play all right, I see you on Friday.
Speaker 2: How about that very interesting stuff from Kei k Hernandez,
Speaker 2: Very candid stuff from Key k Hernandez about his leadership
Speaker 2: role during October. It wasn't a big speech, a big toast.
Speaker 2: It was him having one on one interactions with certain
Speaker 2: teammates he felt needed that confidence boost, like Yoshi Yamamoto.
Speaker 2: So I love hearing from Kei k love that he's
Speaker 2: going to be part of the ring ceremony when the
Speaker 2: Dodgers were turned back from Tokyo, Japan and opening up
Speaker 2: at home against the Detroit Tigers. From Key k Too,
Speaker 2: our Dodger Talk contributor Jose Mota, who's been at camp
Speaker 2: all spring long with Luis Cruz, Luis and Jose getting
Speaker 2: ready to be partners for the first time in twenty
Speaker 2: twenty five. We had a chance to catch up with
Speaker 2: Jose earlier today at Salt River Fields.
Speaker 1: All right, Jose, great to have you back.
Speaker 2: What's been your first impressions on the vibe at Dodger Camp.
Speaker 9: It's been great, David, My first impression has been then
Speaker 9: nobody wants to even talk about twenty twenty four, and
Speaker 9: to me, that's great. I think when Mooki got here
Speaker 9: and they put that microphone and the foot over him,
Speaker 9: he's like, guys, that's over with. And I talked to
Speaker 9: Dave Roberts about this. He goes, I didn't say anything
Speaker 9: about that. Is they they want to do it, That's
Speaker 9: the way they want it. And I think David is
Speaker 9: important to know that you can't wrestle all your laurels.
Speaker 9: Teams are going to be striving for you. Even at
Speaker 9: this point last year, Remember we're talking about what the
Speaker 9: bulls eye. It's on your back because everybody wants to
Speaker 9: be like the Dodgers, and now it's even bigger. But
Speaker 9: I'm glad that pretty much everybody's on the same page
Speaker 9: saying it's over now. But they do remember is we
Speaker 9: know how we got it done. We should have a
Speaker 9: better team this year. Stay healthy, but don't forget about
Speaker 9: the process, which because getting that championship is not easy.
Speaker 2: All right, Buster only put me on the spot on
Speaker 2: his podcast, so I'm gonna put you on the spot
Speaker 2: with this one. He asked me, what's the biggest key
Speaker 2: for the Dodgers' success this year?
Speaker 1: And you can't use injuries. It's gonna be consistency of
Speaker 1: the starting pitching.
Speaker 9: You know what we saw and you witness and you
Speaker 9: were a part of last year with a bullpen in
Speaker 9: the postseason.
Speaker 1: That doesn't happen again. That is not gonna happen again.
Speaker 9: So in that case, starting pitching, like Dodger Baseball has
Speaker 9: been through the years and generations is gonna be again.
Speaker 9: The thing that they addressed was gonna carry them. The
Speaker 9: offense will be the offense, but they got to stay
Speaker 9: on pace and have six or seven dependable starters because
Speaker 9: you can't go through five anymore and.
Speaker 1: Just you know, through a whole season.
Speaker 2: Hey, we know how good O'tani can be when he pitches,
Speaker 2: but he pitches once a week. So would you say Glass, now, Snell,
Speaker 2: and Yamamoto are the three big his keys to consistency.
Speaker 9: Because as you know obviously with show, Hey, it's it's
Speaker 9: gonna be how he responds. Can you put him on
Speaker 9: every five days? You know, meaning with the six starters
Speaker 9: and you don't know his Boddy's gonna respond after he
Speaker 9: took such a beating last year too, right, And then
Speaker 9: on the offensive side, I think the Dodgers will use
Speaker 9: a similar strategy that we saw with Joe Madden when
Speaker 9: Joe said, hey, you can play as much as you want,
Speaker 9: but just let me know where your body needs to
Speaker 9: shut down. I think the Diggers will be more proactive
Speaker 9: and say no, we think there's a day for you
Speaker 9: to take it easy. Maybe match up some off days
Speaker 9: consecutively with an off day for him. But yeah, those
Speaker 9: three guys that you mentioned are really guy need to
Speaker 9: carry the load. And I'm telling you that as soon
Speaker 9: as I signed, Blakes knows that this is the guy
Speaker 9: that is the hungriest. He is proven in two side
Speaker 9: Young's and it's still that old mentality of I can
Speaker 9: make thirty three starts. It sent him, so I do
Speaker 9: expect him to staying healthy, goes out there, liasa dollars
Speaker 9: and starts an innings and of course some punch outs.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and he's an October pitcher. We've seen that in
Speaker 2: the past. But here's my bold prediction. You mentioned Cy Young's.
Speaker 2: Here's my bold prediction for this season. Yamamoto wins the
Speaker 2: cy Young I.
Speaker 1: Like that too.
Speaker 9: I know that you probably based it on things that
Speaker 9: you've seen now with Yamamoto and how much more confidence.
Speaker 1: The confidence is there. You know what.
Speaker 9: There's there's something about a player just having been there
Speaker 9: before where it's like I've done it now. Remember I
Speaker 9: always keep this in mind if he did it in Japan,
Speaker 9: different circumstances, I know, But that's in you, okay. You
Speaker 9: know what it is A pitching from forty five thousand
Speaker 9: people fifty thousand people. You know what it's like to
Speaker 9: come back and help your team out. But Dave, what
Speaker 9: he went through in October is the one thing that's
Speaker 9: going to carry him.
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna be there right there with you.
Speaker 2: Jose you mentioned to me earlier today that you spoke
Speaker 2: to one of his trainers. What did you take away
Speaker 2: from that that makes you believe that maybe.
Speaker 1: My could come true?
Speaker 9: Number One, his training methods, which he says he varies
Speaker 9: pretty much every week.
Speaker 1: They don't use weights.
Speaker 9: Talk to mister Osama and he said, I work on
Speaker 9: of his on two things, his nervous system on field
Speaker 9: and his nervous system on the insights to use his strength.
Speaker 1: So and he's driven, he goes.
Speaker 9: I'm the sense he's the one that I go to
Speaker 9: him and talk about the day, about being respectful to
Speaker 9: the game, about making every day different, and about perhaps
Speaker 9: having cloudy and perspective. But I think it was clear
Speaker 9: when I was talking to him today that he's in
Speaker 9: a good spot man mentally and physically, and then again
Speaker 9: having gone through the fire putting that shoulder injury behind him,
Speaker 9: he's up for big things right now.
Speaker 2: Do you feel like there's a good spirited competition between
Speaker 2: Yamamoto and Sazaki. Do you feel like Yamamoto is motivated
Speaker 2: he doesn't want this young kid to try to outdo him.
Speaker 1: Maybe, but I.
Speaker 9: Think he feels more like I want to be that pillow,
Speaker 9: you know, the cushion for Sasaki. Sasaki, I always said,
Speaker 9: is not a standalone guy. That's what always those confidence
Speaker 9: that he's going to be a dodger. He needs somebody
Speaker 9: to lean on. And to me that was yama motive,
Speaker 9: not so much sho Hey, because Yamamotive's gone through this
Speaker 9: and he's a young kid that's gone through a lot himself,
Speaker 9: even mentally in Japan, and I think you have Moota
Speaker 9: is a perfect guy. But hey, don't let the kid
Speaker 9: beat you, because he does have a lot of abilities
Speaker 9: to go out there and really punching people out.
Speaker 2: There's been some mixed reviews about Sasaki. It seems like
Speaker 2: he's in the same spot Yamamota was last year at
Speaker 2: this time, still trying to get comfortable and find his
Speaker 2: confidence here.
Speaker 9: In terms of stuff, it's people say electric. It sometimes
Speaker 9: looks unhittable, but he's been pretty hittable so far.
Speaker 1: In the back fields. He's getting a.
Speaker 9: Feel for everything that's going through right now in terms
Speaker 9: of adjustments member the mound, the dirt, the baseball, everything
Speaker 9: not as tacky, all those things.
Speaker 1: He has bigger hands than Yamamoto for the.
Speaker 9: Splitter, But overall I would say that yama Moto was
Speaker 9: ahead of them because Yamoda had won so many things
Speaker 9: already in Japan, had gone through more fires Asasaki, and
Speaker 9: he was maybe not as proven. Psycha is not as
Speaker 9: proven as demo motive was when it came down to
Speaker 9: carrying a team, them motives down before in Japan. And
Speaker 9: you know those awards that he has, you can erase that.
Speaker 9: So I think that more than anything, he's an inspiration
Speaker 9: to say, how'd you do it? What's to travel?
Speaker 4: Like?
Speaker 9: What do I need to adjugt and turns my bullpen?
Speaker 9: How do you pitch hitters? And remember hiding the baseball,
Speaker 9: which was a case last year. Three different gloves, different
Speaker 9: ways of holding the glove. For Yamamulta, all those things
Speaker 9: that he can pass along to socycut and said, this
Speaker 9: is why I went through and be ready, because they
Speaker 9: do pick up stuff here in the big leagues.
Speaker 2: Ose Mota is our guest, all right. Jose headed to
Speaker 2: Tokyo here in the next couple of weeks. You are
Speaker 2: a veteran of Tokyo, Japan, So do you have any
Speaker 2: tips for me on how to handle myself or any
Speaker 2: sort of scouting report in Tokyo for me?
Speaker 1: Copy them? They are generous, They are very clean.
Speaker 9: I'm not calling you on clean now, Dave, but man,
Speaker 9: it is the cleanest city I've ever seen.
Speaker 1: They're sore, cordial, so respectful.
Speaker 9: What I would say is, don't sleep in, get out
Speaker 9: and get the experience because and then here's the other thing.
Speaker 1: About like the food.
Speaker 9: You don't have to have the most expensive stuff, but
Speaker 9: everything you have is gonna be great.
Speaker 2: All right, I'll let you know how it goes. If
Speaker 2: you have any specific spots, send them my way.
Speaker 1: Are you sure you're gonna read my text? I will? Okay, promise,
Speaker 1: got it.
Speaker 2: Thanks to Jose Motive for taking time out earlier today.
Speaker 2: I had a great day spending time with Jose with
Speaker 2: the Dodgers and Rockies here at Salt River Field.
Speaker 1: David Vasse Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: We're winding things down here as we get closer to
Speaker 2: the top of the hour, but there are a few
Speaker 2: different questions that people are asking I mentioned a jose
Speaker 2: that I believe, and I'm going out on the limb
Speaker 2: here to say the Dodgers leading say Young Award winner
Speaker 2: this year will be Yoshi Yamamoto. There's just something about
Speaker 2: what I've seen in his bullpen sessions, his swagger around
Speaker 2: the cluhouse. I didn't see this last year, and it
Speaker 2: just makes me believe that he's a more aggressive pitcher,
Speaker 2: a more confident pitcher, and a guy that is really reassured.
Speaker 2: And Dave Roberts seven echo those sentiments a few days
Speaker 2: ago where he has seen all those things.
Speaker 1: And let's not forget Yamamoto.
Speaker 2: Came over to Major League Baseball a very decorated pitcher,
Speaker 2: winning the Triple Crown in that league before he signed
Speaker 2: with the Dodgers, so he's not a stranger to winning
Speaker 2: awards and having dominant seasons. If he stays healthy, I
Speaker 2: feel like Yamamoto could be the National League cy Young
Speaker 2: Award winner. As far as Roki Sazaki goes, we all
Speaker 2: have to reserve judgment when it comes to Suzaki. He's
Speaker 2: twenty three years old. He doesn't seem very confident right now.
Speaker 2: The Dodgers are taking it very slow and careful with him,
Speaker 2: and it wouldn't be a stretch to believe that Suzaki
Speaker 2: may stay in Arizona for an extended spring training just
Speaker 2: so the acclamation process continues to build even after the
Speaker 2: Dodgers returned back from Tokyo, Japan. So he's supposed to
Speaker 2: pitch next Tuesday in a Cactus League game for the
Speaker 2: first time. We'll see how that goes. But I would
Speaker 2: reserve judgment on Sazaki. I have maintained that the jury
Speaker 2: is still out. I am reserving judgment. He's only twenty
Speaker 2: three years old, and it's not a one year thing.
Speaker 2: It's a six year process of growth and development. So
Speaker 2: we'll see where he fits in. I firmly believe, just
Speaker 2: talking to people around the camp that by the end
Speaker 2: of this season, you're going to see a very different
Speaker 2: and more confident Sazaki than you're going to see at
Speaker 2: the beginning of the year. Another layer to spring training
Speaker 2: as well for the Dodgers is how the infield will
Speaker 2: shape up and how center field will shape up.
Speaker 1: Right now, if.
Speaker 2: Chris Taylor is on this team, he's going to be
Speaker 2: on the roster as a bench player, which means the
Speaker 2: Dodgers are going to have to decide between Andy Paez
Speaker 2: and hey Son Kim. Is Kim going to make the
Speaker 2: team and if he does, how does Pahz fit in?
Speaker 2: Right now, Kim has been overmatched offensively. The Dodgers have
Speaker 2: completely redone a whole makeover on his swing, and that's
Speaker 2: going to take some time. So I kind of believe
Speaker 2: that Kim may start the year in the minor leagues
Speaker 2: to continue to work on this brand new swing, and
Speaker 2: Andy Poz makes the team if Chris Taylor is going
Speaker 2: to be on this roster, and I feel like tom
Speaker 2: Y Edman, who started again today at second base, is
Speaker 2: going to get a lot of time at second if
Speaker 2: Kim is in the minor leagues, And even if Kim's
Speaker 2: on this team, he's not going to be the automatic
Speaker 2: starting second baseman. The Dodgers have moved him around. They
Speaker 2: want him to be a utility type of player, a
Speaker 2: versatile player that can play center, that can play short,
Speaker 2: that could play second. So I feel like tom Yedman's
Speaker 2: going to get a lot of time and base and
Speaker 2: you're gonna see a lot of Andy Pajez and Keith
Speaker 2: a Hernandez and even Tommy Edmond at times play center.
Speaker 1: Field.
Speaker 2: If Chris Taylor is on this roster now, I still
Speaker 2: feel like he will be on Opening Day, but his
Speaker 2: spring training has not looked any better than it did
Speaker 2: all last year, and that's going to be a crossroads
Speaker 2: at some point in time during the season for the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: What do they do with Chris Taylor? And I guess
Speaker 2: when you have a loaded roster like this, you can
Speaker 2: carry your twenty sixth player that has been with the
Speaker 2: team since twenty seventeen and maybe give him a longer
Speaker 2: leash since you are paying him close to fifteen million dollars.
Speaker 2: But at some point the Dodgers are going to have
Speaker 2: to make a decision on whether or not another player
Speaker 2: serves the roster better if Taylor is ineffective again. But
Speaker 2: I know Andrew Freeman pointed out to me last year
Speaker 2: that Taylor's second half numbers and play was better than
Speaker 2: the first half, So obviously there's a there. There's a
Speaker 2: little bit of credit with Chris Taylor, but he's got
Speaker 2: to start performing.
Speaker 1: All right.
Speaker 2: That'll do it for us on Dodger Talk tonight. Thanks
Speaker 2: to Mark Pryor, thanks to Keith Key Hernandez, thanks to
Speaker 2: Jose Mota, and thanks to you for listening. In case
Speaker 2: you missed any of the show, you can find it
Speaker 2: on the iHeartRadio app and this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday,
Speaker 2: the Dodgers will be right here on five seventy LA
Speaker 2: Sports in those games. And don't forget tomorrow night show.
Speaker 2: Hey Otani will make his Cactus League debut leading off
Speaker 2: for the Dodgers against the Angels at Camelback Ranch, and
Speaker 2: Will Smith will be behind the play Tomorrow night against
Speaker 2: the Halos as well. Thanks to Ronnie Focio for all
Speaker 2: his help, Thanks again for listening. Jason Smith on Fox
Speaker 2: Sports Radio is next from Arizona, Talking Stick Scottsdale. David
Speaker 2: Vasse will talk to you over the weekend.
Speaker 7: See ya,