Speaker 1: It's the Dodgers and Rockies from Salt River Field, and
Speaker 1: we're joined right now by one of my favorite people.
Speaker 1: And it's tremendous that he is back in the Dodger organization.
Speaker 1: He has joined the Dodgers Spanish radio booth and he's
Speaker 1: been all over spring training, the one and only Luis Cochito,
Speaker 1: Cruz Cochito. Great to see you, great to have you back.
Speaker 2: Thank you very much, David.
Speaker 3: I'm really happy to be back, and you know, especially
Speaker 3: right now where the team he's loaded and now we
Speaker 3: have one of the best teams in the league. And
Speaker 3: I'm really happy. I mean, seeing those guys again, like
Speaker 3: I play. I got to play against Freddy, I got
Speaker 3: to play against Showhy, and seeing all the front office again.
Speaker 3: I mean they always were nice to me. I'm really
Speaker 3: happy to be back with the team. In different situation
Speaker 3: now from the radio boot, but I'm very happy.
Speaker 1: Well, we all know about Freddie and show Hey and Mookie.
Speaker 1: Similar to when you joined the Dodgers in twenty thirteen,
Speaker 1: they had the stars, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Clayton Kersh,
Speaker 1: the list.
Speaker 2: Went on and on.
Speaker 1: Even when you joined the Dodgers. What about guys that
Speaker 1: are in your position that need to prove themselves. Can
Speaker 1: they do that with so many stars?
Speaker 3: Yes, I mean I was always in that situation when
Speaker 3: I was coming up to the big leagues, and I
Speaker 3: can I'm seeing that from a lot of guys like Both.
Speaker 3: He's doing a really good he's putting some good swings
Speaker 3: on it, and all those guys, I mean both signed
Speaker 3: a couple of weeks ago and he's swinging good. So
Speaker 3: here hope he's also doing a really good job. And
Speaker 3: I would would like to see those guys have success
Speaker 3: because we know, I mean, I know what it like,
Speaker 3: what it takes to get to spring training and look
Speaker 3: for the spot, you know, look for a roster spot.
Speaker 3: So what do you what we're trying to do as
Speaker 3: a young player, or what they're trying to do is
Speaker 3: do their best so so the managers can see what
Speaker 3: I can bring to the table and maybe if he's
Speaker 3: not now, maybe later in the season they can bring
Speaker 3: him up.
Speaker 1: What has impressed you the moment about watching the Dodgers
Speaker 1: championship run last year and there and the way they've
Speaker 1: started spring training.
Speaker 3: What I I mean, what I impresses me the most
Speaker 3: is I mean is everything is so like everybody have
Speaker 3: their own routine, and you can see how hard how
Speaker 3: hard they work. Like I got here like in February twelve,
Speaker 3: and it was like almost all the hitters was already
Speaker 3: here and they were not supposed to be there until
Speaker 3: next week. So that tells you how important is for
Speaker 3: them to come here early and get ready for for
Speaker 3: the repeat, you know, like to to to to to
Speaker 3: be a champion again. And and for me is for
Speaker 3: being the first year guy on the on the radio, Bude.
Speaker 3: Seeing all that is really important because that's what you get.
Speaker 2: You can see what you can get.
Speaker 3: From a player during the season, like when he comes
Speaker 3: early to spring training and he gets ready and he
Speaker 3: says he stays healthy most of the time.
Speaker 1: Being a rookie in the radio booth, is it the
Speaker 1: same feeling you had being a rookie in twenty thirteen.
Speaker 3: It's not that hard because it's only two guys, three
Speaker 3: guys on the board with me.
Speaker 2: But I like it.
Speaker 3: I mean, I like it. It's absolutely different. But I
Speaker 3: mean I still hang out with the guys in the
Speaker 3: clubhouse because I got to play against some of them
Speaker 3: before my career, and I like it.
Speaker 2: I like to be.
Speaker 3: In the booth, and I like to like talk to
Speaker 3: the people in the Spanish and kind of like in
Speaker 3: different plays, what I can analyze and tell them what
Speaker 3: exactly is happening, what I think, what I should, what
Speaker 3: I did when I was a player, and I think
Speaker 3: I like that.
Speaker 1: Do you miss the game? You just finished playing professional
Speaker 1: baseball in Mexico last year, just months ago. Do you
Speaker 1: miss it?
Speaker 2: I no, I'm still in the game.
Speaker 3: I'm just in a different spot. I'm just doing radio
Speaker 3: right now. And like I say, all I learned in
Speaker 3: my career for the twenty three years I played, I
Speaker 3: can express it to be people and I like it.
Speaker 3: Like if I see a play short stop or second
Speaker 3: base that reminds me when I was playing, and and
Speaker 3: and what I think the choices he got, if he's
Speaker 3: a grandble to a high shopper, I should go get
Speaker 3: it or whatever. It reminds me every play I make
Speaker 3: in those twenty three years, so I can express it
Speaker 3: to the people.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a good crew, Jose Mota, Pepe and Ingez
Speaker 1: and the one and only Luis Cochito Cruz. It's so
Speaker 1: great to have you back. And you were a true
Speaker 1: underdog when you joined the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: Yes, I was.
Speaker 3: I was, and and I think that's that's something like
Speaker 3: the people in l A I appreciate, like I was
Speaker 3: always a guy who came out and play hard every
Speaker 3: every single day. If they want, if they need me
Speaker 3: at second base, I will go to second base. They
Speaker 3: need me in left field, I will go to left field.
Speaker 3: And I finished playing third base every day for the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: Is that it was like a dream come true to me?
Speaker 2: And I don't know. I was.
Speaker 3: We always make a good connection with the front office. Also,
Speaker 3: he was in twenty twelve, twenty thirteen. So I always
Speaker 3: wanted to come back. I always say once I retire,
Speaker 3: I want to come back and work for the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: And any any other any other job.
Speaker 3: I mean, I never expect this to be the Spanish
Speaker 3: analyst so quick, but I'm really happy to have the
Speaker 3: job and help Pepe and.
Speaker 2: Jose before I let you go.
Speaker 1: Obviously, we lost one of the greatest Dodgers, Fernando Venezuela.
Speaker 1: How much do you think of him when you step
Speaker 1: into that booth every time?
Speaker 3: I mean, he still has his initials on the headphones
Speaker 3: and and I know a lot of people. It's a
Speaker 3: big shoes to feel. I'm not trying to feel his shoes.
Speaker 3: I'm just I'm just trying to honor him and do
Speaker 3: my best for him to feel proud of me. And
Speaker 3: I know him from a long time. He knows my dad,
Speaker 3: I know his son. I mean, we played together in
Speaker 3: double A. So Fernando Venezuela is irreplaceable. I'm not trying
Speaker 3: to replace anybody. I'm just trying to do my job
Speaker 3: and help and hopefully he feel proud of me.
Speaker 1: No doubt he's looking down very proud of you because
Speaker 1: you have the spirit of Mexico and you have the
Speaker 1: spirit of the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: Yes, I mean I was.
Speaker 3: I was always a Dodger growing up, and I was
Speaker 3: My kids are Dodger fans too, and I will always
Speaker 3: be a Dodger and and I think that's one of
Speaker 3: the reasons. I mean, I got the I got the job,
Speaker 3: and I always say I was telling them, you know what,
Speaker 3: once I retired playing, I would love to come back
Speaker 3: because I spend the best time of my life playing
Speaker 3: for the Dodgers. I grew up being a Dodger fan.
Speaker 3: He's not so many people in life to have that luck,
Speaker 3: you know, being sometimes.
Speaker 2: You dream, you dream is to play in the big leagues,
Speaker 2: but you don't have like a special team.
Speaker 3: But like for me, I grew up thinking I'm gonna
Speaker 3: playing the big leagues and someday I'm gonna play for
Speaker 3: the Dodgers. So for me and my family, it was
Speaker 3: like a dream come true.
Speaker 1: For sure, it is a dream come true and you're
Speaker 1: living the dream. Great to have you back. You've never
Speaker 1: left the Dodgers. Certain players are associated with teams. You
Speaker 1: always have been associated with the Dodgers, just because of
Speaker 1: that Cinderella ride you had back in twenty twelve and
Speaker 1: twenty thirteen. Can't wait to see you all season long
Speaker 1: and we'll have some fun this year.
Speaker 2: We will.
Speaker 3: Thank you very much, David, and I'm really really happy
Speaker 3: to be here.
Speaker 2: And I'm gonna do.
Speaker 3: My best to make every fan to speak the Spanish
Speaker 3: or English proud. I'm gonna do my best like I
Speaker 3: would used to do it.
Speaker 1: On the film and go Dodgers Doubt number forty seven.
Speaker 1: Luis Coccito Cruz, thanks a lot for the time.
Speaker 2: Thank you, David. Thank you