Camp Stories: Dodgers newcomers help shape the message for 2024
by Cary Osborne
Shohei Ohtani spread baseballs over the wall at Camelback Ranch on Wednesday like a fan — right field, right-center, center field and then left.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw dozens of pitches in a bullpen session to catcher Will Smith — a few times getting verbal approval from the veteran catcher.
“Yes,” Smith would say after the baseball popped into his glove.
The presence of Ohtani, Yamamoto and the other additions helped shape the message that manager Dave Roberts gave on Wednesday to the club during the first full-squad workout day at Dodgers 2024 Spring Training.
“It was more of the mindset of appreciating that we have a talented roster, but it’s up to us to go out there and play good baseball and get better each day and embrace the idea that people are coming after us,” was Roberts’ description of the message.
The tone-setter message is nothing new for Roberts. He traditionally delivers profound words on the morning of the Dodgers’ first full-squad workout. Last year’s message was also inspired by the new faces in Dodger camp. Roberts singled out veteran players Jason Heyward, J.D. Martinez and David Peralta, each of whom cited the desire to win as their reason for signing with the Dodgers before the 2023 season.
This year’s group of signings, though, has brought a different feel to camp — elevated expectations and extraordinary attention.
Freddie Freeman said he has seen the latter part every day with the increase in vehicles in the Camelback Ranch parking lot — many drawn by Ohtani and Yamamoto.
“We notice it, but I think it’s more of that’s a good thing,” Freeman said. “That means good things happened this offseason for the Dodgers. We got the guy we’re going to be talking about, our great-grandchildren are going to be talking about. Just like we talked about Babe Ruth, we’re going to be talking about Shohei.
“It’s just an exciting time for the Dodgers, for us. Yes, it’s not (about) winning the offseason. We’ve got to go out there and play and we know that.”
Roberts did not talk about the 2023 season and how it ended in a stunning sweep by the Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series during his morning meeting.
Fourteen members of the current Dodger 40-man roster didn’t play a game for the Dodgers last year — that includes additions like Ohtani, outfielders Teoscar Hernández and Manuel Margot and pitchers Tyler Glasnow, Yamamoto and James Paxton.
Paxton, part of the revamped starting rotation, echoed what many have said about this club.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a team with so much talent on it. It’s amazing,” said the 10-year veteran. “You look around the room. There’s just so many so many superstars and just so much talent all around top to bottom. So it’s an exciting team to be a part of. I’m just looking forward to taking it one day at a time with these guys and winning lots of ballgames.”
The acquisitions helped the Dodgers turn the page. The Dodgers have no other choice at this point.
“It doesn’t matter who you lose to or how you lose — losing in the playoffs, that’s not our goal,” Freeman said. “We have one goal every year and that’s to win the World Series. And that’s just who we are. I think more of the sting was we got swept, that makes it sting even more. But that was last year, and we’ve got to put that behind us.”
