Speaker 1: Welcome the home of the Dodgers to spring Dodger Talk,
Speaker 1: Hi Majestic shot on.
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Speaker 1: To seventy LA Sports and streaming on the iHeartRadio on.
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Speaker 1: Yes, grab your phone to get in on the show
Speaker 1: called eight six six nine eighty seven two five seven
Speaker 1: head coach the show and now stepping in as your
Speaker 1: host for Dodger Talk, Tam Kase.
Speaker 4: Oh, We're off and running on this beautiful Friday nine
Speaker 4: Here in the city of Los Angeles, Southern California. You're
Speaker 4: a home of the back to back World Series champion
Speaker 4: Los Angeles Dodgers AM five seventy LA Sports.
Speaker 5: As the road to a.
Speaker 4: Three peet officially started today at Camelback Ranch in Arizona,
Speaker 4: as pitcher and catchers have reported Monday the first full
Speaker 4: team workout at Camelback Ranch, but most of the players
Speaker 4: have already made their way over to the Grand Canyon
Speaker 4: state of Arizona, as they are anxious, as they are
Speaker 4: biting at the opportunity to get this season started here
Speaker 4: in twenty twenty six, and we got a jam packed
Speaker 4: hour coming up here on Dodger Talk Spring Training Edition.
Speaker 5: How good does that sound?
Speaker 4: No more offseason, no more getting ready for the start
Speaker 4: of spring training.
Speaker 5: Nope, we are here.
Speaker 4: We have officially begun twenty twenty six and the quests
Speaker 4: for a three peat. As the Dodgers have reported to
Speaker 4: Arizona eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy
Speaker 4: eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy. We
Speaker 4: are eight days away from the Cactus Opener against the Angels.
Speaker 4: The Dodgers will have their first game of Camelback Branch
Speaker 4: on February twenty third. We got the World Baseball Classic
Speaker 4: coming up begin the first week of March, and for
Speaker 4: the first time in the last three years, the Dodgers
Speaker 4: aren't going over to Korea and not going over to
Speaker 4: Japan to start the season. Instead, they will get a
Speaker 4: full spring training in Arizona, the Freeway Series three games
Speaker 4: against the Angels, and then start the regular season that
Speaker 4: final week of March. I'm fired up for the start
Speaker 4: of baseball. Football season is over. The NBA says they
Speaker 4: have their All Star break this weekend. Could have fooled
Speaker 4: me I'm not paying attention. I got all Ey's on
Speaker 4: Arizona right now, and the start of spring training for
Speaker 4: the Dodgers as they are reloaded and ready to go.
Speaker 4: Coming up this hour, you're gonna hear from the manager
Speaker 4: Dave Roberts, who spoke to the media earlier today. You
Speaker 4: will hear from show Hey Otani in coming up. El
Speaker 4: So this hour your first time hearing from Alex Vesia,
Speaker 4: Dodger reliever who was not a part of the World
Speaker 4: Series run last year after tragedy hit him and his wife,
Speaker 4: losing their infant daughter just hours after birth. Our hearts
Speaker 4: are with him every single day. So you think of
Speaker 4: Alex Vessi and his wife and their family and what
Speaker 4: they continue to go through during the process and after
Speaker 4: it never really ends. And you hope that baseball with
Speaker 4: the start of spring training can be an outlet for
Speaker 4: Alex Vesia and his family as they start that long
Speaker 4: road really to try to recover and get their lives
Speaker 4: moving forward in whatever direction that is well. Here from
Speaker 4: Alex Vesia coming up at the end of this hour
Speaker 4: and soon certainly one of the guys. All Dodger fans
Speaker 4: are rallying around and have their hearts open for in
Speaker 4: his return here in twenty twenty six, and he looks great,
Speaker 4: he sounds great. And you'll hear from Alex Vesia coming
Speaker 4: up later on this hour. But we also want to
Speaker 4: hear from you, Dodger fans. Eight six, nine, eighty seven, two,
Speaker 4: five seventy are the trades, possibilities and the hot stove talk.
Speaker 4: It is over with, it is done. Baseball is here.
Speaker 4: We've got baseball activities for the first time in twenty
Speaker 4: twenty six. And if you're a Dodger fan, spring training
Speaker 4: means trips out to Arizona. It meant trips to to
Speaker 4: Dodgertown in Florida many years ago, but now it means
Speaker 4: convenient drives and flights over to Camelback Ranch and and
Speaker 4: seeing baseball in the spring training and seeing the Dodgers
Speaker 4: play in different spots over there. I know it's something
Speaker 4: that a lot of Dodger fans love doing. I love doing.
Speaker 4: I've taken my daughters over to spring training multiple times.
Speaker 4: We're gonna make a trek over there this spring training
Speaker 4: as well and see some games. I love the start
Speaker 4: of baseball season, but with the start of baseball means
Speaker 4: expectations and expectation are high. Already, the Dodgers projected to
Speaker 4: win over one hundred plus games in the regular season.
Speaker 4: The NL West looks like the Dodgers, Padres and then
Speaker 4: everybody else. As far as the Diamondbacks, the Giants would
Speaker 4: be better, but certainly the Colorado Rockies are looking at
Speaker 4: another one hundred loss season. So the Dodgers have lofty expectations,
Speaker 4: and certainly so with the roster they have. But for
Speaker 4: you Dodger fans, is you get ready to head over
Speaker 4: to Arizona as you get ready to listen to spring
Speaker 4: training games right here on FI seventy LA Sports beginning
Speaker 4: next Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels at twelve o'clock
Speaker 4: right here on ANFI seventy LA Sports. Which Dodger player
Speaker 4: are you most excited about seeing and hearing this spring?
Speaker 1: Now?
Speaker 4: Of course we're all excited about Freddie Freeman and Mookie
Speaker 4: Betts and show hey Otani, But is there a Dodger
Speaker 4: player that you're really excited about seeing? Maybe expectations going
Speaker 4: to this season are bigger and better. Maybe it's a
Speaker 4: Dodger they acquired in the offseason and signed. Maybe it's
Speaker 4: a Dodger last year who didn't have a great season
Speaker 4: and is looking to bounce back in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4: Maybe it's just that favorite Dodger player you love going
Speaker 4: out and seeing it. And certainly you can throw Mookie
Speaker 4: and show Ay and Freddie into that conversation as well.
Speaker 4: Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy. I'm
Speaker 4: gonna give you a player and a pitcher right now
Speaker 4: with the start of spring training. I'm most excited about
Speaker 4: seeing and why Kyle Tucker. Dodgers signed him to a
Speaker 4: lucrative four year deal, making him the second highest paid
Speaker 4: player on average in baseball twenty nine years old. They
Speaker 4: didn't get locked into a long deal, So now he's
Speaker 4: here with opt outs and he's expected to produce and
Speaker 4: the time that we'll be here last year year banged
Speaker 4: up twenty twenty four, hurt with a shit injury. But
Speaker 4: when healthy, Kyle Tucker, a left handed, power hitting, great
Speaker 4: defensive outfielder who can steal bases for you, is going
Speaker 4: to add something to Dodgers. Well, quite frankly, they had,
Speaker 4: but it's just gonna make him even better. Last year,
Speaker 4: even Wall hurt with a calf injury, an ops near
Speaker 4: nine hundred, twenty two home runs, seventy three RBIs, twenty
Speaker 4: five stolen bases in one hundred and thirty six games. Now,
Speaker 4: you add him to a roster in a lineup like
Speaker 4: the Dodgers, and he should just blend in because this
Speaker 4: lineup is so deep top to bottom.
Speaker 5: We know what it looks like.
Speaker 4: It's ridiculous how great this lineup is gonna be. You're
Speaker 4: not asking him to carry a lineup and bat clean
Speaker 4: up and literally be the center of a lineup day
Speaker 4: in and day out, and carry a team and be
Speaker 4: asked to hit fifty home runs and drive on one
Speaker 4: hundred and fifty.
Speaker 5: That's not what he needs to do.
Speaker 4: Be healthy and just produce like he when he's healthy,
Speaker 4: he can hit thirty plus home runs, have a nine
Speaker 4: hundred plus ops, drive in one hundred runs, steal thirty bases.
Speaker 4: That's what I'm most looking forward to this bring is
Speaker 4: seeing Kyle Tucker and what he can do. How does
Speaker 4: he blend into this roster, What does he look like
Speaker 4: in right field? And what does he look like in
Speaker 4: this lineup? Because Dave Roberts on this station at Dodger
Speaker 4: FanFest has been asked about What does the lineup look
Speaker 4: like with Kyle Tucker? Where are you gonna bat him?
Speaker 4: How does show Hey Otani look at cleanup and everybody
Speaker 4: else behind him? What does that order look like? It
Speaker 4: may not be the same every single day, but where
Speaker 4: does Kyle Tucker fit into this lineup? Because certainly, again
Speaker 4: you're not asking him to carry this lineup on a
Speaker 4: day to day basis and be that Mike Trout where
Speaker 4: you need him to hit thirty plus home runs just
Speaker 4: to be competitive and to drive in or run every
Speaker 4: game because gosh, you got nobody else before or after
Speaker 4: him in the lineup. But I'm just anxious to see
Speaker 4: what Kyle Tucker looks like in the Dodger uniform. That's
Speaker 4: on the field, but.
Speaker 5: Off the field.
Speaker 4: Okay, we heard about Kyle Tucker, and you know, does
Speaker 4: he have that enthusiasm? Well, he said in his press conference,
Speaker 4: he does. I'm anxious to see how he blends into
Speaker 4: this clubhouse with a team of full of players who
Speaker 4: have won multiple championships and for the better part of
Speaker 4: this roster, guys who have now won back to back
Speaker 4: World Series championships. Where does he fall in to this clubhouse?
Speaker 4: Where does he mesh with guys in that clubhouse on
Speaker 4: a day to day basis, to tight clubhouse's comfortable clubhouse
Speaker 4: that Dave Roberts makes comfortable based on how he treats
Speaker 4: his players, interacts with him, and make sure it's a
Speaker 4: working and professional environment. Where does Kyle Tucker fit into
Speaker 4: that clubhouse on a day to day basis. That's something
Speaker 4: we're gonna find out and to hear in spring training.
Speaker 4: That's something I'm looking forward to this spring for the Dodgers. Now,
Speaker 4: Kyle Tucker signed a big deal, big expectations. He's expected
Speaker 4: to come in here and produce. That's a given. I'm
Speaker 4: excited to see what he looks like on and off
Speaker 4: the field fitting into with this Dodgers team, and I
Speaker 4: hope it goes smoothly. But also a player, I'm very
Speaker 4: anxious to see this spring. And don't don't drive off
Speaker 4: the road. Don't laugh. Okay, Tanner Scott, Okay, hear me out.
Speaker 4: Tanner Scott's going into year two of a four year deal.
Speaker 4: Tanner Scott last year in era close to five sixty
Speaker 4: one appearances. We know he's got the major league lead
Speaker 4: in ten blown saves. Last year, spent a month on
Speaker 4: the il with the elbow information and he came back,
Speaker 4: and I get it. He had the four walkoff hits
Speaker 4: that he gave up in the last month of the season,
Speaker 4: wasn't part of the postseason at all. On the roster
Speaker 4: through the DS and then taking off the roster after
Speaker 4: he had that lower body abscess procedure and missed the
Speaker 4: rest of October baseball for the Dodgers.
Speaker 5: I'm flushing that out.
Speaker 4: I'm getting rid of twenty twenty five for Tanner Scott
Speaker 4: with the hopes that Tanner Scott in twenty twenty six
Speaker 4: is Tanner Scott of the previous years, the Tanner Scott
Speaker 4: of twenty twenty four and twenty twenty three with the
Speaker 4: Marlins and the Padres, where he had a two ERA,
Speaker 4: only two blown saves in two years, one hundred and
Speaker 4: forty six appearances, and was a lockdown arm late in games,
Speaker 4: saving them high leverage situations. Somewhere in there, tanner Scott's
Speaker 4: got it. I truly believe it. He just needs to
Speaker 4: find it again. And that's what I'm excited about the
Speaker 4: spring training is seeing Tanner Scott now. He is seeing
Speaker 4: all the right things. He talked to David Vass say
Speaker 4: just a couple. I think he had him on last night.
Speaker 4: Talked to me at at FanFest. I saw him talk
Speaker 4: to sports and at LA at fan Fest as well,
Speaker 4: talk to the general media as all the players did.
Speaker 4: He said all the right things, flushing twenty twenty five, out,
Speaker 4: ready for twenty twenty six, new year, knew me that's
Speaker 4: my words, not his, and ready to go. And his
Speaker 4: biggest takeaway was he doesn't have to be as perfect
Speaker 4: as he thought he had to be, and he doesn't
Speaker 4: have to be his pinpoint in the zone where he
Speaker 4: gets hit around, and when he was doing that, he
Speaker 4: got hit hard. He's got good stuff, just needs to
Speaker 4: trust his stuff and hopefully gets some swinging misses from
Speaker 4: guys on pitches in or outside of the zone. Get
Speaker 4: a little nibble there. That's the Tanner Scott. I hope
Speaker 4: we see and that's the Tanner Scott. I want to
Speaker 4: see this and I'm excited about hearing him and seeing
Speaker 4: him over at camble Back Ranch get ready for this season.
Speaker 4: Who are your Dodger players you're most excited about seeing
Speaker 4: this spring as we get ready for the regular season.
Speaker 4: Tanner Scott, Kyle Tucker for me, and those are just
Speaker 4: two guys that came to top of mind as I'm
Speaker 4: sitting here talking. How about Heisung Kim? How about Tommy
Speaker 4: Edmond coming off the ankle injury and the surgery. You know,
Speaker 4: is he gonna be ready for Opening Day? Will he
Speaker 4: be ready to goe go? The first month of the season?
Speaker 4: Andy pa Has, how does he get back to the
Speaker 4: Andy pa has that played really well during the regular
Speaker 4: season and at the Andy pae Has that got benched
Speaker 4: in the World Series and came in as a defensive replacement.
Speaker 4: Max Munsey's health. I think the overarching big thing for
Speaker 4: this spring, and I think we can all agree Dodger
Speaker 4: fans is health. You want everybody to get through the
Speaker 4: next six weeks of Arizona and the World Baseball Classic healthy.
Speaker 4: That's the biggest thing for this Dodgers team, not that
Speaker 4: they are just clinging to twenty five guys and if
Speaker 4: somebody gets hurt, look out, it's all gonna unravel because
Speaker 4: this team is depth. Got This team's depth is scary.
Speaker 4: This team's depth is unreal, and we're gonna get into that.
Speaker 4: And we've been talking about it, certainly with David here
Speaker 4: on Dodger Talk. But they could get through injuries if
Speaker 4: they need it to. Hopefully that's not the case. But
Speaker 4: keep in mind five Dodgers playing in the World Baseball Classic,
Speaker 4: Will Smith, Sho hey Otani, Yoshinova, Yamamoto, Edwin Diaz, Hei
Speaker 4: Sun Kim all representing their countries, all with the Dodgers now,
Speaker 4: but we'll leave and play for their respective countries beginning
Speaker 4: the first week of March.
Speaker 5: So we hope for the next six weeks through the
Speaker 5: w NBC, through.
Speaker 4: Cactus League play, and through the workouts leading up to
Speaker 4: the first spring training game next Saturday. Right here at
Speaker 4: ampire seventy LA Sports, this Dodger team can get through
Speaker 4: it healthy. But which Dodger players are you most excited
Speaker 4: for here in twenty twenty six, eight sixty six nine
Speaker 4: eighty seven two five seventy is our number? Eight sixty
Speaker 4: six nine eighty seven two five seventy. We're gonna hear
Speaker 4: from Alex Vessia coming up, We're gonna here from Shoeyotani,
Speaker 4: but let's hear from the Dodger manager Dave Roberts. Today
Speaker 4: the first day pitchers and catchers reporting, and the first
Speaker 4: day we get to hear from the Dodger skipper.
Speaker 2: First day good.
Speaker 6: I think that just kind of obviously getting the pitchers
Speaker 6: catchers here, Uh, majority of the position players are here already.
Speaker 6: Guys are anxious, you know. I think for me, it's
Speaker 6: we got a long camp, longer than we've had in
Speaker 6: in the recent years. So to trying to get guys
Speaker 6: to start slow but intentional, methodical is kind of the message.
Speaker 6: But yeah, it'll be good to get guys on the field.
Speaker 2: We were talking yesterday about all the pictures in their
Speaker 2: different phases of ramp up and so on. Is that
Speaker 2: the number one job that's spring to figure out where
Speaker 2: everybody is and who's available?
Speaker 7: It is?
Speaker 8: It is?
Speaker 6: I think a lot of the veteran guys sort of
Speaker 6: know where they're at, what it's going to take to
Speaker 6: get him ready. Younger guys, I think certain some of
Speaker 6: the guys that are coming off injury, guys that had
Speaker 6: a bigger workload last year, and just trying to bucket
Speaker 6: those guys together individually. But I think the main thing
Speaker 6: is just kind of ramp up methodically and really not
Speaker 6: try to tart have a certain target date and everyone's
Speaker 6: on a different program, but yeah, as long as they're
Speaker 6: kind of improving which I feel right now, we got
Speaker 6: a healthy group right now.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm amoto going to face hitters today. Are you
Speaker 2: at all nervous about his workload last year and then
Speaker 2: pitching in the WBC. I wouldn't say worried. I think
Speaker 2: that I know that.
Speaker 6: I just believe that he knows his limitations and he's prepared,
Speaker 6: so I'm not too concerned about it.
Speaker 9: Hey, now that you guys have gotten a little bit
Speaker 9: more of a feel for who shohe is as a
Speaker 9: picture and he's kind of like maybe a semi normal
Speaker 9: ramp up over and offseason, what.
Speaker 3: Kind of expectations do you think about, like what he
Speaker 3: can do as a picture.
Speaker 9: Do you feel like there's maybe more that's like untapped
Speaker 9: there for.
Speaker 2: Him but what he's shown previously in the big leagues?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I do.
Speaker 6: I think that certainly last year coming off surgery, But yeah,
Speaker 6: I think the regular offseason ramp up, I think there's
Speaker 6: certainly a lot more in there, And regardless of my
Speaker 6: expectations for him, his are gonna, you know, exceed those.
Speaker 6: You know, I think it's fair to say he expects
Speaker 6: to be in the cy Young conversation, but you know,
Speaker 6: we just want to be healthy and make starts, and
Speaker 6: all the numbers and statistics will taking themselves, but man,
Speaker 6: this guy is such a discipline worker and you know,
Speaker 6: expects the most from himself.
Speaker 8: So I think it that.
Speaker 2: Surprised him as a picture, just watching him sort of
Speaker 2: go through the regular routines and watching naturally in starts
Speaker 2: that maybe you didn't expect him.
Speaker 6: I think the thing that was most surprising from last
Speaker 6: year was his command. And I'll say that he still
Speaker 6: feels his command wasn't up to par, but given you
Speaker 6: know the Tommy John and what typically command looks like
Speaker 6: the year after, it was above that, So I think
Speaker 6: that was impressive. Just his ability to command a couple
Speaker 6: of different breaking balls that change the shape of his
Speaker 6: breaking balls was pretty impressive. And you know, everything he
Speaker 6: does is with a purpose. So I'm really excited to
Speaker 6: see with the full offseason to just prepare and not rehab,
Speaker 6: you know, what he.
Speaker 2: Can do this this year.
Speaker 7: It's still really early, but do you still expect to
Speaker 7: bat him lead off on days of he pitches as
Speaker 7: of now?
Speaker 2: Yes?
Speaker 6: Yeah, as of now, yes, We'll we'll see how that
Speaker 6: progresses and I'll have conversations with him. So yeah, Well,
Speaker 6: we'll see, but I think right now as I stand here, yeah, when.
Speaker 10: You like I said yesterday, he looks fantastic, Like what
Speaker 10: are the things you've seen and just like in the
Speaker 10: first couple of days of camp that kind of look
Speaker 10: different or just let you know, he's in a good spot.
Speaker 6: I think he just looks he looks strong, but not
Speaker 6: too too there's not too much mass. Just watching him throw,
Speaker 6: watching him run, his body's moving well. I think he's
Speaker 6: in a sweet spot of just my eyes just watching
Speaker 6: him as just the way the muscle mass, it just
Speaker 6: seems like he's in a in a sweet spot.
Speaker 10: It's been like the first offseason he hasn't had any
Speaker 10: sort of like reheabs so for the winner, Like can
Speaker 10: you do you expect that to be murdered like coming
Speaker 10: into this year, Like how much of a difference that
Speaker 10: can make it just how he's feeling, how quickly he
Speaker 10: can kind of jump into the season.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I do, And I think that you know, when
Speaker 6: you're in rehab mode, it's a little bit of survival
Speaker 6: going into the season and as opposed to just going
Speaker 6: into a regular offseason preparing for the next season and
Speaker 6: not in the rehab mode.
Speaker 2: So yeah.
Speaker 6: I mean, we'll see what it looks like. But I'm
Speaker 6: pretty encouraged on both sides of the baseball.
Speaker 8: How do you kind of handle the ramp on the player?
Speaker 2: You know, I don't know when he's going to.
Speaker 6: Leave us to join Team Japan, but there's still going
Speaker 6: to be ample time for him to get his progression
Speaker 6: here with us to then. I'm sure Mark will be
Speaker 6: talking to the pitching coach over there and kind of,
Speaker 6: you know, stick to our planning, will be in lockstep,
Speaker 6: so I'm not too concerned about it and show he's
Speaker 6: very well aware of, you know, what he needs to do.
Speaker 4: All right, There's Dave Roberts speaking with the media today
Speaker 4: for the first time at Campbell Back Ranch in Arizona.
Speaker 4: Is Spring training is officially underway. We'll take a break,
Speaker 4: we'll come back. Your phone calls, David is He, Jesse,
Speaker 4: Bobby Robert, I see one line open eight Saint six
Speaker 4: nine eighty seven, two five seventy.
Speaker 5: Let's jump on board.
Speaker 4: Which Dodger player you most excited about seeing this spring?
Speaker 2: Is?
Speaker 5: Camp is here?
Speaker 4: Players have reported. First full squad workout is Monday, but
Speaker 4: most of the team is there. Pitchers and catchers reported
Speaker 4: last night, worked out today. A lot of them through
Speaker 4: bullpen sessions today, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, even through the hitters on
Speaker 4: the backfields at Campa Back Ranch. We're often roaded running
Speaker 4: here as the road to a three peat has started
Speaker 4: officially right here on an FI seventy LA Sports Dodger
Speaker 4: Talk until the top.
Speaker 5: Of the hour.
Speaker 4: Spring Training edition of Dodger Talk. Tim Kates with you
Speaker 4: here on this Friday night. David Madday in transit to Arizona.
Speaker 4: He'll have daily reports right here on FI seventy LA
Speaker 4: Sports beginning on Monday, and cannot wait for the first
Speaker 4: Cactus League game for the Dodgers a week from tomorrow, Saturday,
Speaker 4: the twenty first, at noon, we'll have Marongo Casino Dodgers
Speaker 4: on deck beginning at eleven thirty in the morning, first
Speaker 4: pitch at twelve ten as Dodgers Baseball in twenty twenty
Speaker 4: six is finally here with the first spring training game
Speaker 4: in Arizona, as they'll take on the La Angels of
Speaker 4: Anaheim the first game at campbel Back Ranches on the
Speaker 4: twenty third, and we will have Dodgers Baseball for you
Speaker 4: right here on NFI seventy LA Sports. Coming up, you're
Speaker 4: gonna hear from Alex Vesia, who spoke to the media
Speaker 4: today for the first time since last fall. We'll also
Speaker 4: here from Shoho Tani coming up in just a couple
Speaker 4: of minutes. So I told you the two players I'm
Speaker 4: excited to see here this spring. Now, we're all excited
Speaker 4: to see the superstars. But Tanner Scott Kyle Tucker two
Speaker 4: guys I got my eyes and ears on this spring.
Speaker 4: I want to see how they produce. I want to
Speaker 4: see how they fit in. I want to see how
Speaker 4: Tanner Scott bounces back from twenty twenty five into what
Speaker 4: I hope is going to be a great twenty twenty
Speaker 4: six coming out of the Dodgers' bullpen. And keep in mind,
Speaker 4: Tanner Scott is a guy they gave a four year
Speaker 4: lucrative deal to because he had been really good and
Speaker 4: proven coming out of the back end of the bullpen,
Speaker 4: and they believe in him. They they're keeping him around.
Speaker 4: Certainly they got an investment in him. But let's not
Speaker 4: forget Anthony Bonda was DFAD and then traded to the
Speaker 4: Minnesota Twins as a left handed arm. They got Tanner Scott,
Speaker 4: Alex Vesia, Jack Dryer, Justin Robleski, four left handed arms
Speaker 4: right there to come out of the bullpen. And they
Speaker 4: felt they had such a good stockpile of left handed
Speaker 4: arms that Anthony Bonda was the odd man now out
Speaker 4: going here into this spring. So they are counting on
Speaker 4: Tanner Scott the Dodgers to have it bounce back twenty
Speaker 4: twenty six. Let's go out to Knoxville, Tennessee. Jesse first
Speaker 4: up here on this first spring training edition of Dodger Talk.
Speaker 5: How you doing, Jesse?
Speaker 3: I'm doing great, my man, pim Cakes, you magnificent bastard.
Speaker 3: You've got me so fired up, man. I mean I
Speaker 3: was ready for it anyway, but you really got me rolling, man,
Speaker 3: And I'm gonna try to be quick. The first guy
Speaker 3: that I'm really looking forward to seeing is uh Man,
Speaker 3: I mean Andy pie Is because we've seen we've seen
Speaker 3: this guy. I mean, he can hit. And if I
Speaker 3: see him taking walks and maybe going the other way
Speaker 3: a little bit, I mean, get on Andy, you know,
Speaker 3: and run. I mean, you know what I'm saying, he
Speaker 3: can really be a catalyst. And and A mean I
Speaker 3: gotta throw in Rokie because I'm thinking this, this kid's
Speaker 3: gonna Uh, this kid's gonna have a breakout year.
Speaker 6: Man.
Speaker 3: You know, other than that, you know a handful of
Speaker 3: guys that I'm I'm looking forward to. So I know
Speaker 3: they're not going to break with the club, but a
Speaker 3: lot of guys, mostly outfielders, I want to see in
Speaker 3: spring training. And uh, oh man, I'm gotta ask you
Speaker 3: one question, yeah, real quick, sure, Okay, when when Mickey
Speaker 3: hit the home run in Game seven, right, and just
Speaker 3: there's a shot of Dave Roberts reaction. His mouth flies open,
Speaker 3: something flies out of his mouth, he grabs his head.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's just, I mean, it wasn't I don't
Speaker 3: know if there's a lot of thieves or what, man,
Speaker 3: but you see if you've an effort figuring out what
Speaker 3: the hell that was that flew out of Dave's mouth,
Speaker 3: And I'll shut up and listen to you, all.
Speaker 5: Right, Jesse, great to hear from me. Thank you so
Speaker 5: much for the nice words. Yeah. I don't know.
Speaker 4: Maybe it was a seed, Maybe it was a piece
Speaker 4: of gum. Most likely, I think Dave roberts reaction with
Speaker 4: Miguel Rojas's home run in the ninth inning was sort
Speaker 4: of the reaction we all felt together right, Jesse just
Speaker 4: to draw dropping my gosh, what did I just hear?
Speaker 5: What did I just see? What am I witnessing right now?
Speaker 5: Are you kidding me?
Speaker 4: Game seven, ninth inning, game tie in home run mcgual Rojas.
Speaker 4: I kind of feel like that was all of our
Speaker 4: reaction on that night last November. That was for Game
Speaker 4: seven of the World Series eight six six nine eight
Speaker 4: seven two five seventy.
Speaker 5: He mentioned Andy Poiz.
Speaker 4: Certainly, Andy pot has I have to believe is got
Speaker 4: to feel really confident coming into this season for this reason.
Speaker 4: That's his job in center field. There's no ifs, answer
Speaker 4: butts about it. Andy Pojez is the Dodger center fielder.
Speaker 4: You know, Tommy Edmond was lurking around the Dodgers still
Speaker 4: didn't really have Pojz out there every day. Okay, he
Speaker 4: won the job last year. No, this is his job.
Speaker 4: He had twenty seven home runs last year, eighty six runs,
Speaker 4: bat it in. He had a really good regular season,
Speaker 4: should have been an All Star. But then October came
Speaker 4: and he could not hit at all. I think he
Speaker 4: had three or four hits the entire month of October.
Speaker 4: Lost his starting job in centerfield. Tommy had been took over,
Speaker 4: and he was a defensive replacement. I'm with Jesse, I
Speaker 4: want to see more out of Andy Paiez in the spring.
Speaker 4: How does he answer back? But I truly believe he's
Speaker 4: got to have it, at least mentally emotionally going to
Speaker 4: this season. That deep breadth of all Right, this is
Speaker 4: my job. I don't have to look over my shoulder anymore.
Speaker 4: I don't have to worry about getting called into Dave Roberts'
Speaker 4: office and going back to Oklahoma City.
Speaker 5: I'm a big leaguer now twenty five. This is my job.
Speaker 4: I'm the everyday center fielder for the Dodgers. Remember what
Speaker 4: they do this offseason. They went and got a right fielder.
Speaker 4: So now ta Oscar Hernandez can move over to left field,
Speaker 4: so Andy Poiez can stay in center field. Yes, So
Speaker 4: that being said as well, you have to go into
Speaker 4: this spring with a lot of confidence if you're Andy Pajes.
Speaker 4: So that's a good call by you.
Speaker 8: Jesse.
Speaker 4: Eight sixt six ninety seven, two five seventy. Let's go
Speaker 4: to David and Long Beach. David, welcome to Dodger Talk
Speaker 4: on this first spring training edition of Dodger Talk.
Speaker 5: How you doing good.
Speaker 8: Sim How are you good?
Speaker 5: Thank you?
Speaker 8: Always good to hear from you. And I'm really really
Speaker 8: excited about this season. The one player that I'm really
Speaker 8: looking forward to see is Max Monci. I mean, he
Speaker 8: had an okay regular season and he did have one
Speaker 8: of the bigger hits in the World Series. Not the
Speaker 8: biggest one, but one of the big ones.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 8: And I'm still trying to figure out how in the
Speaker 8: world he caught that line drive, you know, I'm still
Speaker 8: I see that replay over and over and I'm surprised
Speaker 8: he didn't get his head taken up by that. But
Speaker 8: I'm really looking forward to seeing him improve. I think
Speaker 8: he's going to have a great season, and like I said,
Speaker 8: I'm really looking forward to the whole season. I think
Speaker 8: we're going to give everybody a run for their money,
Speaker 8: and I think we're going to be there at the end.
Speaker 8: I think we're going to do it again. Taking my call,
Speaker 8: all right.
Speaker 4: David, I appreciate good call on the Max Munsey. With
Speaker 4: Max Munsey, you've got to be feeling confident as well.
Speaker 4: The team just gave you an extension ten million dollars
Speaker 4: and guaranteed over the next two years with a team
Speaker 4: option for twenty twenty eight. You're thirty five, going to
Speaker 4: be turning thirty six er in the season, and the
Speaker 4: team invested in you for at least two more years.
Speaker 4: That right there shows me the vow confidence that the
Speaker 4: Dodgers have given Max Munsey and the belief they have
Speaker 4: in Max Munsey, Bob, and Malibu. Welcome to Dodger Talk
Speaker 4: on this Friday night.
Speaker 5: How you doing, Bob, I'm doing good.
Speaker 8: Tim Man, thanks for taking the call. I appreciate it. Man,
Speaker 8: the dude.
Speaker 11: The dude I'm excited to see and I agree with
Speaker 11: the last caller, Max Munky of course, top you know player.
Speaker 11: His words today about you know, not chasing money incredible,
Speaker 11: but the guy I'm really excited to see Tim based
Speaker 11: off his actions and what a dog he was justin
Speaker 11: Robleski Man, I'm looking forward to seeing more Robo this year.
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's one of those ar I appreciate it. Bob,
Speaker 4: thanks for checking in. Man really appreciated him. Jack Dryer
Speaker 4: two guys I'd love to see a little bit more
Speaker 4: of this spring. I hope both of them make the
Speaker 4: Dodger roster. Coming out of the start of the season
Speaker 4: and spring training. We'll find out four left handed arms.
Speaker 4: It's a lot in the bullpen. You don't usually see
Speaker 4: four Tanner, Scott Alex Vesia, Jack Dryer, Justin Robleskis could Robless,
Speaker 4: it me the odd man out. Well, we'll see. But
Speaker 4: that's what spring training is going to be about. Who
Speaker 4: can get through here healthy, who's gonna be ready to
Speaker 4: go opening day? Again, Please keep this in mind. The
Speaker 4: twenty five guys, the twenty six guys opening day roster.
Speaker 4: That's great, We have a ceremony, they all line up,
Speaker 4: they get introduced. There's a big deal about that, don't
Speaker 4: get me wrong. But it's not necessarily how you start
Speaker 4: the season. It's how you finish the season. And the
Speaker 4: twenty six guys on the roster come October and the
Speaker 4: start of playoff baseball.
Speaker 5: So just keep this in mind.
Speaker 4: You know, the guys who start the season on the
Speaker 4: twenty six man roster, all of them may not be there,
Speaker 4: you know, because of any injuries or circumstances. And there's
Speaker 4: gonna be guys coming in. Like we saw last year.
Speaker 4: It took literally forty plus guys last year at certain
Speaker 4: parts of the season to help them win a World Series.
Speaker 4: One of those guys we always love watching is show.
Speaker 4: Hey o Tani who reported a camp. He's going to
Speaker 4: be in the second year now as a two way
Speaker 4: player pitching and as a designated hitter. He's going to
Speaker 4: pitch for Team Japan and the WBC, And earlier today
Speaker 4: talked to the media.
Speaker 2: So how longly did you get here to camp and
Speaker 2: how far along in your preparations are you?
Speaker 7: Campet? In my gym job.
Speaker 1: Killed it sign.
Speaker 7: Mike kill came into camp beginning of February. Uh, this
Speaker 7: is my third bullpen with pretty good intensity.
Speaker 2: And how excited are you for the WBC?
Speaker 4: I'm excited, I think I'm.
Speaker 7: As you know, Yeah, played really good games last tournament
Speaker 7: and I expect that to happen again, so I'm really
Speaker 7: looking forward to it.
Speaker 2: How different does the spring feel not having had a
Speaker 2: surgery or an injury to recover from this year?
Speaker 4: She's in.
Speaker 3: Good.
Speaker 2: Let's go my music.
Speaker 7: I know.
Speaker 2: Know music.
Speaker 7: I was finally able to have a normal off season,
Speaker 7: and although the off season was pretty short, I thought
Speaker 7: it was a good thing actually to have a shorter
Speaker 7: off season.
Speaker 2: Why we saw we saw the m v P of
Speaker 2: Awards dinner in New York where you gave your speech
Speaker 2: in English? Are you about to put Will out of work?
Speaker 7: You know we did see all we should be not
Speaker 7: in this not r. I still need him because you know,
Speaker 7: there might be some bullies out there that might give
Speaker 7: me some weird questions that I'm sure he can handle.
Speaker 5: Winning a Young Award might be the only thing that
Speaker 5: you have it done?
Speaker 2: Is that a goal of yours?
Speaker 4: So smart so.
Speaker 2: Quote.
Speaker 7: If the end result is getting a cy Young, that's great.
Speaker 7: You know, getting a Young means like just being able
Speaker 7: to throw more innings and pitch throughout the whole season.
Speaker 7: So if that's the end result, that's a good sign
Speaker 7: for me. And that's what I'm more focused on, is
Speaker 7: just being healthy the whole year.
Speaker 4: All right, there's Will Ireton and cars show Hey speaking
Speaker 4: with the media today, and it was good to hear
Speaker 4: show Hey joking around with the media there. Remember during
Speaker 4: the offseason, just a few weeks ago, in fact, in
Speaker 4: New York, he accepted the MVP Award from the Baseball
Speaker 4: Writers of America at that ceremony and did his entire
Speaker 4: two and a half minute acceptance speech in English and
Speaker 4: was fantastic. So maybe we'll hear some more English from
Speaker 4: show Hey. O Tani this year we'll find out. Definitely
Speaker 4: don't want to see will Ireton out of a job.
Speaker 4: He does a great job and has done so for
Speaker 4: the Dodgers for a decade plus. So thanks to Show
Speaker 4: Hey Otani, and thanks to Sports Net La and our
Speaker 4: buddies over there Stu Mitchell and crew for getting us
Speaker 4: the audio today from Show Hey Otani and of course
Speaker 4: Dave Roberts coming up. You're gonna hear from Alex Vesia
Speaker 4: as well. It was an emotional day for the Dodger reliever.
Speaker 4: It's been a tough offseason and certainly a tough October
Speaker 4: after just the tragic death of his baby girl as
Speaker 4: his wife Kayla and he grieved their daughter and their loss.
Speaker 4: It was just traumatic and can't imagine what they were
Speaker 4: going through continue to go through as Dodger fans just
Speaker 4: kind of circle around them and keep them in their thoughts.
Speaker 4: As it's been a tough offseason, a tough few months
Speaker 4: for Alex Vesia. We'll hear from him when we come back.
Speaker 4: Eight six six nine seven two five seventy is the
Speaker 4: phone number as well. If there's a Dodger player you're
Speaker 4: looking forward to seeing the most here this spring as
Speaker 4: we are underway. Man, that was a short offseason. When
Speaker 4: you play into the first couple of days in November,
Speaker 4: all of a sudden, Thanksgiving it hits you in the face.
Speaker 4: Then all of a sudden, the Holidays hit your right
Speaker 4: square in the face. New Year's come. You flipped the
Speaker 4: calendar to twenty twenty six, and a few weeks later,
Speaker 4: all of a sudden, Spring training again. Pitchers and catchers
Speaker 4: are reported. Bullpen sessions were thrown today. Yoshinoba, Yama, Mama, Moti,
Speaker 4: you have a moto through to hitters. First full squad
Speaker 4: workout Monday. Man got here quick, but couldn't be more excited.
Speaker 4: Spring Training edition at Dodger Talk continues, Tim kates with
Speaker 4: you until the top of the hour. You will hear
Speaker 4: from Alex Vesi at next Don't go anywhere at day
Speaker 4: five seventy LA Sports Spring Training Dodger Talk Here on
Speaker 4: five seventy LA Sports. Tim Kate's with you here on
Speaker 4: this Friday night. As David vaz Say makes his way
Speaker 4: to the desert. He'll be camped out there for the
Speaker 4: next six weeks as the Dodgers ramp up twenty twenty
Speaker 4: six in hopes of a three peats as they are
Speaker 4: back to back World Series champions. It never gets old
Speaker 4: to say that pitchers and catchers reported today. A lot
Speaker 4: of position players already there. One guy not there, Mookie Betts.
Speaker 4: He's at All Star weekend here in southern California for
Speaker 4: the NBA the Celebrity Game. He's one of the celebrity captains.
Speaker 4: Saw him out there just a little while ago for
Speaker 4: the Celebrity Game coaching up one of the teams. But
Speaker 4: he'll be making his way out there as well. As
Speaker 4: Monday is the first full squad workout. It's also the
Speaker 4: day Dave Roberts gathers everybody in the organization, front of office,
Speaker 4: training staff, everybody on the major league roster, non roster, vits,
Speaker 4: everybody gets together in the Dog Dodger Clubhouse there in Arizona,
Speaker 4: and he gives the state of the team address, which
Speaker 4: is always kind of fun to hear, and we'll see
Speaker 4: what kind of things he's got in store to say
Speaker 4: going into twenty twenty six. Always inspiring, is the manager,
Speaker 4: Dave Roberts. So that'll be coming up on Monday. Before
Speaker 4: the team's first full squad workout. Today, a lot of
Speaker 4: the Dodger pitchers, if not most of them, through bullpen sessions.
Speaker 4: Yamamoto the loan Dodger to throw to hitters on the
Speaker 4: back fields. I saw Will Smith getting into the batter's
Speaker 4: box and kind of doing some visuals, not swinging away,
Speaker 4: but doing some visuals with Yamamoto on the mound there
Speaker 4: in Arizona. So a lot of pitchers through today. Otani
Speaker 4: was up on the mound, Blake Snell and when Diaz,
Speaker 4: the new Dodger closer, Tyler glassnow Tanner, Scott Rookie Sasaki,
Speaker 4: he was up throwing Will Klein. I saw throwing a
Speaker 4: bullpen session, as was Alex Vessi, and certainly our hearts
Speaker 4: are still with Alex and his wife Kayla, after the
Speaker 4: death of their baby girl last October. He was pulled
Speaker 4: away from the Dodgers during the playoffs, missed out the
Speaker 4: World Series. Certainly he had priorities that he needed to
Speaker 4: be with and we all understand that as they still
Speaker 4: cope today and get through it on a day to
Speaker 4: day basis something you never get over. Certainly you have
Speaker 4: to cope with, and Dodger fans are are certainly feeling
Speaker 4: for them, and our thoughts are always with them on
Speaker 4: a day to day basis as they try to maneuver
Speaker 4: past us and through it and get back on the field.
Speaker 4: For Alex Vessi and maybe a spot for him to
Speaker 4: find some peace out on the field between the lines,
Speaker 4: up on the mound as a Dodger reliever, and he's
Speaker 4: been so good the last few years. Today was the
Speaker 4: first time he was not a Dodger fan fast Today
Speaker 4: the first time we got to hear from the left
Speaker 4: hander Alex Vesi.
Speaker 9: The outpouring of love and support Kane I've had over
Speaker 9: the past few months a few months has been unmatched.
Speaker 9: We're both grateful to not only Dodger Nation, but the
Speaker 9: fans worldwide. The lessons we've learned is that life can
Speaker 9: change in an instant. For us, ten minutes is all
Speaker 9: it took. Sterling Soul was the most beautiful.
Speaker 2: Girl in the world.
Speaker 9: We got to hold her, change her diaper, read to her,
Speaker 9: and love her. Our time together was far too short, okay,
Speaker 9: and I will keep those precious moments and memories to ourselves.
Speaker 9: I hope that anyone listening can empathize and respect our
Speaker 9: wishes for privacy as we continue to heal and as
Speaker 9: we navigate the ups and downs of a baseball season.
Speaker 9: Stepping away from the team, the brothers that I go
Speaker 9: to war with every day was difficult, but it was
Speaker 9: also an easy decision because my family needed me.
Speaker 5: Sorry.
Speaker 9: We still watched every pitch of the World Series, and
Speaker 9: for us in so many ways, that was a light
Speaker 9: in our darkness. We got back to Arizona like the
Speaker 9: first or the second of November, and I immediately got
Speaker 9: back into the gym. I started my throwing program look
Speaker 9: forward to has helped me. Uh, the gym has been
Speaker 9: my mental clarity. Being around the guys again preparing for
Speaker 9: spring training, it's been really nice.
Speaker 6: Uh.
Speaker 9: I've gotten a lot of love so far in the
Speaker 9: in the clubhouse and being able to laugh and joke around.
Speaker 9: That's been been really nice for me. Okay, and I
Speaker 9: started therapy about six weeks ago. It hasn't been easy,
Speaker 9: but talking to someone it has made a difference. For
Speaker 9: those out there who've lost a child or are fighting
Speaker 9: through any struggle, If you can take anything from this,
Speaker 9: please seek help, talk to somebody. It's definitely helped K
Speaker 9: and I.
Speaker 2: And yeah, please.
Speaker 9: Don't be afraid to avoid to speak up your mental
Speaker 9: health matters. I've learned that what happened, what has happened
Speaker 9: to us, has also happened to so many families, and
Speaker 9: realizing that has deepened our empathy and our gratitude.
Speaker 2: For this community.
Speaker 9: The baseball community is strong. I was not prepared to
Speaker 9: not bring my baby girl home, but we're carrying her
Speaker 9: with us every day. Yeah, it's been it's been hard,
Speaker 9: but we're doing okay.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 8: All right.
Speaker 4: There's Alex Vessi, a Dodger reliever, earlier today, his first
Speaker 4: time speaking in public about the tragic loss of their
Speaker 4: baby girl last fall. Him and his wife Kayla. Our
Speaker 4: thoughts are always with him, and they are getting through
Speaker 4: it as best they can and however they can. And
Speaker 4: certainly baseball is an outlet, you know. I think it's
Speaker 4: a good thing for Alex and hopefully his wife to
Speaker 4: be around people that love him and pour onto him
Speaker 4: and just are there with them on a daily basis
Speaker 4: through the grind of a baseball season. Not that it
Speaker 4: ever takes your mind completely away from what happened, you
Speaker 4: never forget, but certainly allows you someone to get back
Speaker 4: to normalcy as far as what you do as a
Speaker 4: profession and being around people that you're around with every
Speaker 4: single day, like I said, so hopefully this is therapeutic
Speaker 4: for the Vessi is being back at camel Back Ranch,
Speaker 4: and it's certainly a tough thing for him to do
Speaker 4: today and not easy for him to get up there
Speaker 4: and talk in front of a bunch of microphones and
Speaker 4: international national media and be a story that people are
Speaker 4: talking about today. But he addressed it. He talked about it.
Speaker 4: He wants his privacy, no doubt. And you know, when
Speaker 4: you see him out there on the backfield walking around,
Speaker 4: make sure you're cheering for him and supporting him. And
Speaker 4: certainly he'll be supported this season and moving forward in
Speaker 4: a Dodger uniform and it will be a big part
Speaker 4: of this twenty twenty sixth season as a left handed
Speaker 4: reliever and somebody the Dodgers are going to count on.
Speaker 4: And you saw what his value was come October in
Speaker 4: the World Series. Not having him out there, you know,
Speaker 4: guys dug down and guys were able to go extra
Speaker 4: had the bullpen. Tyler Glass Now's role has changed, and
Speaker 4: I mean that's that's because how much he Alex Vessia
Speaker 4: meant to this team and has meant to this team
Speaker 4: for the last couple of years, and there's a reason
Speaker 4: why he's a big part of the Dodger bullpen and
Speaker 4: high leverage reliever. Yeah, I mean, talk about all these
Speaker 4: opportunities the Dodgers have closing out games, seventh eighth inning,
Speaker 4: facing the heart of a lineup against the Padres, or
Speaker 4: a high leverage situation against the Phillies of the Mets.
Speaker 4: What's the guy we always talk about we want out there,
Speaker 4: Alex Vessia. Yeah, because he's a guy you can get
Speaker 4: out there.
Speaker 5: He's a dog.
Speaker 4: He's a guy who's gonna go out there and give
Speaker 4: it out his best and put out there and leave
Speaker 4: it out there on the mound, good and bad. And
Speaker 4: for a lot of the times it's been good for
Speaker 4: this Dodger team. So we continue to think of him
Speaker 4: and his wife Kayla, and great to hear him talk
Speaker 4: about it. I know it's therapeutic for him, certainly to
Speaker 4: talk about what happened. And now get back on that
Speaker 4: mound for the Dodgers. With spring training now officially here,
Speaker 4: it's gonna do it for Dodger Talk tonight. Thanks to
Speaker 4: Ronnie Fossio, thanks to all of you for being a
Speaker 4: part of the show. Is he well, squeeze on real quick,
Speaker 4: is he?
Speaker 5: How you doing tonight?
Speaker 11: And I'm looking forward to try and yeah, well you
Speaker 11: know that about.
Speaker 7: It is he.
Speaker 4: Thank you for the kind words. I'm sure Alex and
Speaker 4: his wife appreciate that. We'll be back on Monday night
Speaker 4: with Dodger Talk David Vasse live from Arizona. Enjoy your weekend, everybody,
Speaker 4: so long