Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking.
Speaker 1: I'm out here with Rookie of the Year, National League MVP,
Speaker 1: World champion. Never forget him in LA because they still
Speaker 1: love him. That is the one and only. Cody Bellinger,
Speaker 1: Cody Man. So great to have you back here at
Speaker 1: Dodger Stadium. Always is great.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I love coming back here. The weather, the fans, you know,
Speaker 3: the atmosphere. It all feels so good. So I always
Speaker 3: enjoy it. I always enjoy coming back.
Speaker 1: It was weird seeing you in left field. You're too
Speaker 1: good for left field.
Speaker 2: Hey, wherever they need me, wherever they need me to play.
Speaker 3: Now, I've been playing all three positions and left, center, right,
Speaker 3: you know, wherever, wherever they need me. And it's been
Speaker 3: it's been. It's been good. I having really fun this year.
Speaker 1: What's it like playing in LA and New York. What's
Speaker 1: the biggest differences being a Dodger and a Yankee.
Speaker 3: I was actually talking with Doc about this and the
Speaker 3: guys that just came out. There's a lot of similarities
Speaker 3: of so many similarities. Uh, you know, the expectation, uh,
Speaker 3: the expectation to win, the you know, the want and
Speaker 3: the desire to win.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: In my like the the development aspect of the minor
Speaker 3: leagues is very similar. And you know, the young guys
Speaker 3: they call up, they ready to roll, and it's very
Speaker 3: there's very there's very there's a lot of similarities. So
Speaker 3: back in an environment, you know, like this, it's been
Speaker 3: really fun.
Speaker 1: It's funny you mentioned Dave Roberts, your manager, Aaron Boone.
Speaker 1: He seems to be more intense during the games. Is
Speaker 1: he as intense as he appears?
Speaker 3: No, he's uh, he's very smart man. He you know,
Speaker 3: he played the game just like Doc. You know, both
Speaker 3: these guys play the game, so you know they understand
Speaker 3: the game the inside and outs, you know, the the
Speaker 3: grind and the difficultness of what we do. So I've
Speaker 3: really enjoyed playing for for both of them. And you know,
Speaker 3: it's been it's been you know, where what quarter or
Speaker 3: a third of the way through the season, So you know,
Speaker 3: we're having fun doing it.
Speaker 1: Hey, Cody, what's it like being a Yankee stadium no
Speaker 1: matter if you're at first base, center field, what's it
Speaker 1: like to get the Yankee stadium roll call?
Speaker 3: It's very cool. I was actually really nervous for it
Speaker 3: at first, I didn't.
Speaker 2: I didn't know what I was gonna do.
Speaker 3: I was like, i'matching to tip my cap, Like what
Speaker 3: am I gonna do? And so I actually change it
Speaker 3: for like the first week I didn't know. I just
Speaker 3: and so now what I do is just kind of
Speaker 3: coming natural. But that was pretty cool weekend in the Bronx.
Speaker 3: You know, pack stadium crowds, yelling, and the roll call
Speaker 3: is a pretty cool tradition that Yankee players get to experience.
Speaker 1: I'm sure they've reminded you a million times about the
Speaker 1: fact that you and your dad both playing for the Yankees.
Speaker 1: Does it feel like it was meant to be eventually
Speaker 1: for you one day to play for the Yankees.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's funny. You know.
Speaker 3: During the whole process of this offseason, I was like, Okay,
Speaker 3: I'm probably gonna get traded.
Speaker 2: I hopefully it's somewhere good, you know.
Speaker 3: And when I saw I was gonna trade the Yankees,
Speaker 3: I was obviously very excited.
Speaker 2: I'm just a great organization.
Speaker 3: My dad, you know, had ten years in the minors
Speaker 3: before he broke out to make his big league debut
Speaker 3: with the Yankees and kind of gave him his opportunity.
Speaker 3: So you know, it means a lot of the family,
Speaker 3: and yeah, I'm definitely enjoying it.
Speaker 2: I having a great time being here.
Speaker 1: The great Cody Bellinger is joining us here. He left
Speaker 1: his mark in Dodger franchise history. Players even named Otani
Speaker 1: haven't done what Cody Bellinger did when he was here,
Speaker 1: winning that MVP in twenty nineteen, Rookie of the year,
Speaker 1: most home runs hit ever in twenty seventeen by a rookie.
Speaker 1: When you look back at your time and where you started,
Speaker 1: how much you learned, and where you're at now, what's
Speaker 1: the biggest difference looking back or what's the one piece
Speaker 1: of advice you would give that Cody Bellinger who really
Speaker 1: didn't need it. Maybe not to give Kik a shoulder shiver.
Speaker 1: Maybe that's it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I was just honestly, like, looking back, I was
Speaker 3: just grateful to come up through the uh Dodgers organization.
Speaker 3: You know, I think like it's just such a solid
Speaker 3: organization and the development aspect that I was able to.
Speaker 2: You know, I've drafted.
Speaker 3: At seventeen and my last year I think I was
Speaker 3: twenty six, so that was nine or ten years being
Speaker 3: with the Dodgers, and you know, you kind of grow
Speaker 3: to this little high school kid too, ended up being
Speaker 3: a dad with kids. So it was just I was
Speaker 3: just grateful to come through the Dodgers' org.
Speaker 2: Just the way they treated.
Speaker 3: The minor league players, and there's just a well rounded organization.
Speaker 3: I have nothing but positive things to say about it all.
Speaker 1: It's incredible how you were a Gold Glove first baseman
Speaker 1: but they treated you as the athlete as you are.
Speaker 1: You maybe don't have the opportunities you have now.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's funny. I think it was twenty six fifteen
Speaker 3: or sixteen. They wanted to put me in a center field.
Speaker 3: I was like, no, I'm a first base then, and
Speaker 3: they're like, no, you're gonna play outfield because you're really good,
Speaker 3: and I was like, I want to play first. I
Speaker 3: was a little stuborn at first, but ultimately man obviously
Speaker 3: extremely grateful that I'm able to because play the outfield
Speaker 3: and you know I do it, you know, at a
Speaker 3: good level. So that's something I take pride in and
Speaker 3: you know, I'm I'm glad.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I moved officially to right field in nineteen, so that
Speaker 3: was my first four year in the outfield and big
Speaker 3: so which was cool.
Speaker 1: You remind judge that you're an MVP two.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, here we yeah, we remind each other. He's
Speaker 3: the two time, though, I'm the one time. He's got
Speaker 3: one more on me.
Speaker 1: What's it like being teammates with him?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 3: Man, it's so special. You know, just what he can
Speaker 3: do on a baseball field is tremendous, you know what
Speaker 3: I mean, like very similar to probably show. I've yet
Speaker 3: to see it with my own eyes, but just what
Speaker 3: they can do on the baseball field, honestly, like majority
Speaker 3: of the nig you're just like wow, it's just like
Speaker 3: this is amazing.
Speaker 1: So four hundred, it's incredible that he's flirting with four hundred.
Speaker 3: I think everyone sees like the power and everything.
Speaker 2: It's the baseball player.
Speaker 3: He's a good base runner, it's a great defensive player.
Speaker 3: He has a great arm, it's accurate, like he just
Speaker 3: everything well and.
Speaker 2: He hits for power.
Speaker 3: So, like I said, I mean, he does some things
Speaker 3: on the baseball field that is just truly amazing.
Speaker 1: You do too, I'll never forget the thrills you gave
Speaker 1: us all here in Los Angeles. Cody. You keep going.
Speaker 1: I know you're real dad. Now you're all growing up,
Speaker 1: I know, that's special for you too.
Speaker 2: I'm loving it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know I love being a dad and you
Speaker 3: know they keep me inspired.
Speaker 2: So it's been fun.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot, Cody, and you know how much we
Speaker 1: love you. You were a special player here in LA and
Speaker 1: obviously we wish you would have stayed here your entire career.
Speaker 1: But whenever you come back to LA, I still don't
Speaker 1: believe you should have to pay for a meal.
Speaker 2: I know I appreciate that.
Speaker 3: No, I mean seriously, whenever I come back, people treat
Speaker 3: me so good. And I was always treated treated good
Speaker 3: here by the fans. And you know I love the
Speaker 3: fans here, I love the stadium, I love it all.
Speaker 2: So it's it's it's always fun to be back.
Speaker 1: Whyt I just walk you over to the Dodger side
Speaker 1: right now, Cody, I don't think I want this to end.
Speaker 2: What I'm rocking right here.
Speaker 1: I can't see.
Speaker 2: I can't see, Cody, come on now.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot for the time I always appreciated, and
Speaker 1: we'll see you soon, Farst.
Speaker 2: Thank you.