Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 1: It's a great day at Dodgers Stadium. The Dodgers have
Speaker 1: returned home for a big homestand seven game homestand starting
Speaker 1: tonight against the Atlanta Braves, and it's great to have
Speaker 1: my guy, Rock Stewart. Going back to the trade deadline,
Speaker 1: I know you wanted to be a bigger part of
Speaker 1: last year, But how does it feel now to be
Speaker 1: healthy and be able to contribute. Here's good.
Speaker 2: That's what I'm getting paid to do, so it feels good. Yeah,
Speaker 2: best team in baseball. Fun to team, to be a
Speaker 2: part of a lot of great guys. So to just
Speaker 2: know that I'm contributing now is huge, and yeah, looking
Speaker 2: forward to a good year.
Speaker 1: When you were with the Dodgers, you were a starting pitcher.
Speaker 1: You obviously we know about the changes you made to
Speaker 1: invest in yourself to become one of the best right
Speaker 1: handed relievers against right handed hitters. When you look at
Speaker 1: the way the Dodgers game plan, how different is it
Speaker 1: from where you were in Minnesota to prepare are you
Speaker 1: for whatever you may encounter when the game starts.
Speaker 2: Not too different. Honestly, I think every team is pretty
Speaker 2: locked in when it comes to analytics and matchups and
Speaker 2: scouting reports and all sorts of things like that. Dodgers
Speaker 2: may be a tick above a lot of teams in
Speaker 2: that regard, but it's not too far. It's not too
Speaker 2: drastic of a difference as people may think. You know,
Speaker 2: everybody's pretty hip to everything nowadays. So but the communication
Speaker 2: here is great. You know, they tell you to lean
Speaker 2: on your strengths and that's what a lot of the
Speaker 2: guys do down there.
Speaker 1: And no, it's great. The communication is great.
Speaker 2: The feedback is great after every outing, so everybody's on
Speaker 2: the same page, all pull on the same string to
Speaker 2: you know, help Dodgers get the wins.
Speaker 1: You know this, brock Stewart, when you first came up,
Speaker 1: they talked about relievers wanting to know their role, knowing
Speaker 1: what inning they were going to come into. It seems
Speaker 1: like the Dodgers were the first to say, we are
Speaker 1: going to define your roles, but not by innings, but
Speaker 1: by groupings of hitters. Is that still the same mentality,
Speaker 1: you know, when you're going to be needed.
Speaker 2: Yeah, to a certain extent. I mean, even the other
Speaker 2: day in Houston, Bardo down on the bullpen Josh Bardon.
Speaker 2: He pretty much said like I'd be ready when this
Speaker 2: next group of righties comes up, and uh, I don't
Speaker 2: think it was the next one, but it was.
Speaker 1: It was the following one.
Speaker 2: So uh yeah, I know, you know I have last
Speaker 2: year especially had more success against righty's for sure than lefties.
Speaker 1: But uh, so far, I mean in.
Speaker 2: The rehab outings anyway I can help the team, So
Speaker 2: looking forward to it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no doubt we are too. Brock Stewart is back.
Speaker 1: He's healthy and part of a great Dodger bullpen. Now,
Speaker 1: I know from talking to other players that are hurt,
Speaker 1: you kind of feel like an outsider on the team
Speaker 1: even though you are part of this team. Now that
Speaker 1: you're back and you're pitching, does it feel like, since
Speaker 1: when you got traded you got hurt quickly after that,
Speaker 1: that you're still kind of finding your way with new
Speaker 1: teammates or do you feel like you've you've found your spot?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I'm not really necessarily looking for a spot.
Speaker 1: Are you still the new guy? Is what I'm asking
Speaker 1: I don't think so.
Speaker 2: I mean, everybody, even right when I got over, I felt,
Speaker 2: you know, welcomed, and I felt that everybody was you know,
Speaker 2: pretty welcoming and had open arms and everything and open mind.
Speaker 2: So uh no, like I said, this is a great
Speaker 2: group of guys, and it wasn't too hard to fit
Speaker 2: in right when I got traded over last year and
Speaker 2: definitely this year. I mean, it's it's been easy. I
Speaker 2: mean I was with them all spring. Uh yeah, so
Speaker 2: I know the guys pretty well and it's a great
Speaker 2: group of guys. So yeah, I mean it's just a
Speaker 2: it's been an easy transition. And I think that's that's
Speaker 2: has to do with like I said, great group guys,
Speaker 2: and it's it's it makes it easy when when everybody's
Speaker 2: a nice human and cares about each other and gets
Speaker 2: to know each other, and it's not just all focused
Speaker 2: on baseball. You know, we're not We're not down there
Speaker 2: in the bullpen's strictly focused on baseball. We're definitely locked in, ready,
Speaker 2: ready when our name's called. But you know we're friends too,
Speaker 2: you know, we're not just we're not just teammates.
Speaker 1: Okay, So who's your catch partner?
Speaker 2: Ah, the bullpen catchers?
Speaker 1: Oh geez, doesn't sound like you have many friends if
Speaker 1: that's your catch partner.
Speaker 2: No, I have a specific like I have a specific routine.
Speaker 2: So a lot of the a lot of the other
Speaker 2: don't like to play catch with me because I take
Speaker 2: forever doing Plyo throws before my catch routine, or I'm
Speaker 2: doing bands too long, or I don't throw enough when
Speaker 2: I have a baseball in my hand. So I just
Speaker 2: like to throw the bullpen catchers to make it easy.
Speaker 1: Okay. The one thing that hasn't changed from the time
Speaker 1: brock Stewart was with the Dodgers the first time to
Speaker 1: this time around is when you come off the field,
Speaker 1: you still put your glove on your hat. That's when
Speaker 1: I know it's brock Stewart.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's it's easy. You don't have to
Speaker 2: carry it, just put it on your hat and your
Speaker 2: hands are free and you're just chilling.
Speaker 1: It's a it's comfortable, all right. I know your teammates
Speaker 1: didn't like me declaring you got the best hair on
Speaker 1: the team, but I'm sticking by it.
Speaker 2: Hey man, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 2: I don't know if that's the case with Glass now
Speaker 2: and a couple other guys on our team, but you
Speaker 2: know what, I'll take your word for it, and sure
Speaker 2: do appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no doubt. That's as far as I'm going with it.
Speaker 1: Yesterday I was talking about Vessie's hands, and now i'm
Speaker 1: talking about your hair. So I'll leave it right there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just hands and hair, no other body parts. All right,
Speaker 2: just keep it right there.
Speaker 1: Day. Sounds good, hands above the table, Brock, thanks a
Speaker 1: lot for the time. Great to see you, and we're
Speaker 1: looking forward to seeing this version of Brock Stewart.
Speaker 2: All right, sounds good.
Speaker 1: Let's do it.