Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.
Speaker 1: Alex Freeland got a huge lesson in the big leagues
Speaker 1: last year. He had his opportunity, he got an opportunity
Speaker 1: basically to play for a month straight. It just seemed
Speaker 1: like the game sped up on him. And that's what
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts said. But everybody has noticed a much more
Speaker 1: mature Alex Freeland this season. And even Freeland is carrying
Speaker 1: himself better this spring. I shouldn't say better, but carrying
Speaker 1: himself more like a big leaguer this spring. And I
Speaker 1: had a chance to catch up with Alex Freeland earlier today.
Speaker 1: All Right, I'm joined right now by a man that
Speaker 1: burst onto the scene last year with the Dodgers. He
Speaker 1: may not have the mullet, but he's still got the
Speaker 1: same edge and is still a baseball junkie. That's the
Speaker 1: one and only Alex Freeland. Great to see you, and
Speaker 1: I didn't recognize you no more mullet. You got a beard,
Speaker 1: a new man in spring training.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's good to be back. It's good to see you,
Speaker 2: but I've gotten that a lot. Nobody seems to recognize
Speaker 2: me right now. But no it's cool, different look, change
Speaker 2: things out.
Speaker 1: The one word that's been used to describe you this
Speaker 1: spring is maturity. Do you feel like you learned a
Speaker 1: lot in your first taste of the big leagues last year?
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2: I mean, although the season didn't go the or the
Speaker 2: season did go the way that we wanted to, but
Speaker 2: for me personally, it didn't go the way I wanted.
Speaker 2: But I think there's a lot of things to learn
Speaker 2: from whether it's good or bad. So I mean just
Speaker 2: experiencing it and being in the clubhouse with the guys,
Speaker 2: like there's veterans and Hall of famers like you just
Speaker 2: learned from being around them.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I think it went the way you wanted
Speaker 1: because you got your chance to be in the big leagues.
Speaker 1: You got a chance to be around this team, a
Speaker 1: championship caliber team. So it feels like you may know
Speaker 1: the answers to the test this year.
Speaker 3: Yeah. No, no, no, I kinda.
Speaker 2: I kind of have an understanding of what it's gonna
Speaker 2: be like now and how to carry myself.
Speaker 3: So I'm looking I'm really looking for the next year.
Speaker 1: Do you feel like the motivation started when you went
Speaker 1: back to Oklahoma City last year?
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely. I mean it sucked, but like it is
Speaker 2: what it is. I mean I tried to get on
Speaker 2: the earliest fight out of there to go play, and
Speaker 2: I said, I like, screw it, Like I'm gonna go
Speaker 2: down there and play.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna work my way back up.
Speaker 1: What did you learn the most being around those guys?
Speaker 2: Just how to handle yourself, Like how you go about
Speaker 2: your business like they do it in such a manner.
Speaker 3: It's like it's just very professional.
Speaker 2: So I mean, I think I think just the way
Speaker 2: I carry myself, whether I'm doing something or I'm not
Speaker 2: doing something, just just how I how I present myself.
Speaker 1: It seemed like you got bigger and stronger since the
Speaker 1: last time we saw you. How did that all come together?
Speaker 1: Did you just come up with this plan on your
Speaker 1: own or did somebody direct you, Hey, this will help
Speaker 1: you take that next step.
Speaker 2: No, I mean I thought right after the end of
Speaker 2: the season for Triple A, I mean we came back,
Speaker 2: we came back to Arizona for Stay Hot, and I
Speaker 2: never left. I've been I've been in Arizona since the
Speaker 2: season ended, and and my goal was to get better
Speaker 2: over the offseason and in preparation to this upcoming year.
Speaker 1: Is that where you came up with this beard?
Speaker 3: I didn't shave.
Speaker 2: Once I got options, I didn't shave.
Speaker 3: Oh, I love it.
Speaker 2: So it's been it's been like four months rocking it.
Speaker 1: How did you decide to cut the mullet?
Speaker 2: It's time to grow up. That's part of the maturity thing.
Speaker 2: I just grew up man.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I have not like we talked about yesterday,
Speaker 1: so we could do this on Yeah, I know. I
Speaker 1: think we could do the fun stuff on the side,
Speaker 1: but once the other players are around, obviously I'm here
Speaker 1: to lift you up.
Speaker 3: Half un goof off.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I remember you kind of just trying to
Speaker 1: figure out pictures how they were pitching you. Do you
Speaker 1: feel like you might have a better idea of how
Speaker 1: to make the adjustments not only game to game but
Speaker 1: at bat.
Speaker 3: To at bat.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, But like also, pictures are going to be pictures.
Speaker 2: They're going to do something and we're gonna learn and
Speaker 2: adjust from it. But I think it's more about me,
Speaker 2: just like I'm more confident now now that I've been
Speaker 2: there and I've seen it and I've done it. So
Speaker 2: I think just going into this year, like I'm I'm
Speaker 2: more confident in everything we do, whether it's scouting, report,
Speaker 2: tea work, drill work, whatever like. So I just feel
Speaker 2: more confident in in everything that I do. So hopefully
Speaker 2: that translates and and uh and it works.
Speaker 1: But you've got a great opportunity. Tommy Edmond's not going
Speaker 1: to be ready for opening day. Uh do you feel
Speaker 1: like this opportunity is presenting itself to you because of
Speaker 1: the game rewarding the work that you've put in.
Speaker 3: Man, it sure feels like it.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's tough that Tommy's not gonna be with
Speaker 2: us to start the year. I mean, Tommy's such a
Speaker 2: good guy to be around, and and I feel like.
Speaker 3: He's a glue guy. Like, yeah, he he.
Speaker 2: Might be overlooked sometimes, but like he's a big part
Speaker 2: of this team. So I mean, I hope that he's
Speaker 2: back soon, and I hope he gets back healthier and better.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it looks like the opportunities opening itself. So
Speaker 2: the focus is still the same to come here and
Speaker 2: get better and make the most of my opportunities.
Speaker 1: You're an easy gutta root for. You've you've definitely put
Speaker 1: in the work since you were a kid, and here
Speaker 1: you are with the back to back World Series champion Dodgers.
Speaker 1: Alex Freeland, before I let you go, you said you
Speaker 1: spent a lot of time in Arizona during the off
Speaker 1: season and you were here in Stay Hot Camp. Where
Speaker 1: were you when the Dodgers won the World Series and
Speaker 1: were you watching it with any of your teammates. Uh,
Speaker 1: that's Bob garn He's back for another year.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: It was with my family and we were watching it.
Speaker 2: We were all super excited. It was such cool.
Speaker 3: It's such a cool ending.
Speaker 2: Like yeah, like it was like it's written in a
Speaker 2: story or something. Man, it just it all came together
Speaker 2: and like I was just so happy for them.
Speaker 3: And for us, like you're getting a ring. Yeah, I know,
Speaker 3: I'm super pumped about that.
Speaker 1: But no, it was is definitely there's the guy that
Speaker 1: did it. I'm just asking Alex Freeland where he was
Speaker 1: when he was watching your home run.
Speaker 3: I was with my family. Man, we are also freaking pumped.
Speaker 3: You're losing it?
Speaker 1: No, all good? Could we could get rid of that? Also,
Speaker 1: you know Miguel Rojas and Will Smith that play at
Speaker 1: the plate. I don't know about you. You're an infielder.
Speaker 1: You understand how tough of a play and game of
Speaker 1: inches that.
Speaker 2: Was Yeah, definitely. I mean I give all the credit
Speaker 2: to to Miggy Row and Will. I mean, every single
Speaker 2: day these guys work on that play, so the fact
Speaker 2: that it happened it.
Speaker 3: Doesn't blow my mind or anything like that.
Speaker 2: Like they work on it every single day because you
Speaker 2: never know when it's gonna happen. And I think that
Speaker 2: a lot of these guys do a tremendous job of
Speaker 2: going out there and treating practice like games because like,
Speaker 2: you never know when it's gonna happen. Like for Meggy Row,
Speaker 2: it happened Game seven when it mattered the most. Yeah,
Speaker 2: you know what, he came through because he works as
Speaker 2: ass off every single day and makes that play in practice,
Speaker 2: but he treats it like a game.
Speaker 1: So is Alex Freeland taking the next step to the
Speaker 1: big leagues. Look forward to seeing you on opening day
Speaker 1: because I know the game rewards guys have put in
Speaker 1: the work. So congratulations, Glad you still got that smile.
Speaker 1: The beer's looking good, and you're a new man. Not
Speaker 1: a new man, but just a more mature man.
Speaker 3: More mature and more confidence.
Speaker 1: Voice to man right here, Alexan