Speaker 1: Today named the Minor League Player of the Year, the
Speaker 1: one and only legend Dalton Rushing. Thanks a lot for
Speaker 1: the time. Great to see you here at Dodgers Stadium.
Speaker 1: I want a uniform for Dalton Rushing here very soon though.
Speaker 2: Sounds good. I'm all on boy for that.
Speaker 1: Good to be here, David, Yeah, man, I always talked
Speaker 1: to a camel back branch. But for you to be
Speaker 1: here at Dodgers Stadium, to be celebrated and recognized for
Speaker 1: the hard work, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 2: It means a lot. Every player going into a season,
Speaker 2: a full season especially, has goals for themselves, and to
Speaker 2: say this wasn't one of them, I'd be lying. This
Speaker 2: is something. It's a big honor, especially in an organization
Speaker 2: like this. The talent that we carry top to bottom,
Speaker 2: it's pretty special and I'm excited.
Speaker 1: I think that's the biggest thing. Right, You're not just
Speaker 1: in another organization. You beat out some really good players.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, there's tons of great years throughout this as players,
Speaker 2: tons of great guys that had like crazy years this
Speaker 2: year in the organization, and obviously they get all the
Speaker 2: respect they're gonna have or need through the Dodgers And
Speaker 2: just to get this award, I said, it means the world.
Speaker 1: I know we're always waiting for that call to the
Speaker 1: big leagues, but can you describe just being rewarded for
Speaker 1: the work at Double A and getting the call to
Speaker 1: Triple A?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, It's it shows you how close you are,
Speaker 2: kind of like puts things into perspective, like, hey, like
Speaker 2: you're one not close and too You've done all these
Speaker 2: things that one of the hardest leagues to play at
Speaker 2: in Minor league Baseball, and then moving to Triple A
Speaker 2: it was like pretty easy, man. I mean, you see
Speaker 2: a lot of these guys rehabbing in the clubhouse. It's
Speaker 2: you get to be on the same team, play on
Speaker 2: the same field as a lot of these guys, and
Speaker 2: it's it's something special.
Speaker 1: For You've also made the transition from catching to playing
Speaker 1: left field. When I heard that, I was thinking a
Speaker 1: young Kyle Schwarber.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I hear that comp a lot, and that's I
Speaker 2: wouldn't say that's a bad comp. I'd love to have
Speaker 2: a Kyle Schwarber here in LA.
Speaker 1: Can you tell us the biggest difference for you going
Speaker 1: from catching to playing left field?
Speaker 2: Perspective? For sure, it's it's a lot different. You're in
Speaker 2: control behind the play. It allows you to kind of
Speaker 2: like control the game as much as possible, and being
Speaker 2: moved out there to left field, you just kind of
Speaker 2: control what things are like brought to you. So flyball
Speaker 2: is obviously the basics of baseball, but you're you're not
Speaker 2: really in full control as you are behind the plate.
Speaker 1: I was wondering, do you still think the game the
Speaker 1: same way in left field?
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I'm I'm thinking pitch to pitch, I'm thinking, hey,
Speaker 2: are what are we calling right here? If I'm a catcher,
Speaker 2: what can I anticipate from a hitter right now? And
Speaker 2: those are some of the things that just run through
Speaker 2: my head. I wouldn't say a normal left fielder, it's
Speaker 2: thinking about how someone's calling the game behind the plate.
Speaker 2: But being a catcher obviously in the past time, I'm
Speaker 2: thinking every pitch.
Speaker 1: Well, I heard that's a big deal for infielders and outfielders,
Speaker 1: the pre pitch thinking through what might happen.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a thing for sure, just kind of like
Speaker 2: anticipating what could be thrown. As a hitter, you understand
Speaker 2: like if this is thrown, the odds of you pulling
Speaker 2: this baseball or shooting this baseball the other way or
Speaker 2: like much higher with different pitch shapes. So just kind
Speaker 2: of understanding the game from left field means a lot.
Speaker 1: Dalton Rushing is our guest. He is the Dodgers Minor
Speaker 1: League Player of the Year for twenty twenty four. So
Speaker 1: how many iving catches have you made out there in
Speaker 1: left field?
Speaker 2: I have like two months under my belt and I
Speaker 2: only have one, so I could, I could for sure stag,
Speaker 2: I could for sure step it up a little bit.
Speaker 1: Hey, I've heard that if you make a diving grab
Speaker 1: sometimes it's not the greatest jump, So that means you're
Speaker 1: getting good jumps on the ball.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. Yeah, No, I feel more and more comfortable out
Speaker 2: there each and every day.
Speaker 3: The one thing that strikes me the most about you.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not gonna pretend that I know about angles,
Speaker 1: swings anything like that, but even in spring training, it
Speaker 1: felt like you could tell how competitive you are and
Speaker 1: the swings that you take.
Speaker 3: You are not short changed.
Speaker 2: No, absolutely not. I take pride in understanding the time
Speaker 2: to do damage and the time not to do damage,
Speaker 2: and I think that's something that really shows in my game.
Speaker 2: A lot is understanding the shrike zone and taking my
Speaker 2: shots when they're given. And I think that's the biggest thing,
Speaker 2: is a power hitter.
Speaker 3: It sounds like you have different clubs in your bag.
Speaker 2: No, I'd say I have one club. I stick with
Speaker 2: the driver. I stick with the driver.
Speaker 3: Are you telling me you won't shoot one the opposite way.
Speaker 2: Will when the opportunity is presented. But especially on a
Speaker 2: golf course, You're never gonna see me shy away from
Speaker 2: a driver from the tea box.
Speaker 3: But you're not great at the putts.
Speaker 2: Putting's not my game. I will say, pudding is not
Speaker 2: my game. Go in your hole, Yeah, exactly, happy GOI
Speaker 2: Moore style.
Speaker 3: Dalton Rushing is our guest. All right, Dalton.
Speaker 1: When you come out here to Dodgers Stadium and you
Speaker 1: look out, do you envision yourself? Are you visualizing yourself
Speaker 1: hitting home runs here? I mean there's your manager, Dave Roberts.
Speaker 1: He's visualizing Dalton Rushing one day.
Speaker 2: Yeah. It's it's pretty cool just to kind of step
Speaker 2: on this field. You kind of see, like once I
Speaker 2: said earlier, like perspective. It's understanding what it's like to
Speaker 2: step in the box in front of this many people
Speaker 2: and understand that if this is what you want to
Speaker 2: do for the next ten years to come. It's it's
Speaker 2: something you kind of become like accustomed to pretty quickly.
Speaker 1: Well, the foundation of the Dodgers, even going back to
Speaker 1: twenty thirteen Seeger Bellinger, Jack Peterson. It's with guys like
Speaker 1: you from the farm system, and I'm sure that's got
Speaker 1: to be special for you too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty cool. With the track record of the
Speaker 2: player of the years to the Dodgers organization in the
Speaker 2: past ten years, it's pretty crazy. And I mean everyone
Speaker 2: can go look for themselves as you see the names
Speaker 2: and you're like, wow, I see a lot of these
Speaker 2: guys on TV each and every day. So yeah, it's
Speaker 2: it's something to for sure take us an honor, but
Speaker 2: there's plenty more to be done.
Speaker 1: Hey, no doubt, the work is never done. Dalton Rushing
Speaker 1: be ready. One day soon we want to see Dalton
Speaker 1: Rushing playing here at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, thank you so much. I'm excited.
Speaker 1: Thank you for the time. Good smelling minor league kid too,
Speaker 1: Dalton Rushing. We'll send it back to you in the studio.