August 24, 2025 • 4 mins
DV catches up with the rookie on his 24th birthday. Alex talks about hitting his first big league HR and contributing in meaningful games down the stretch.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk. Hey,
it's great to be here in San Diego on a
beautiful Sunday morning with the birthday boy himself and old
twenty four. That is the one and only Alex Freeland.
Happy birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thank you, man, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
You were telling me you're not a guy that likes
to promote his birthday, so you just want this on
the low key.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
No, low key, I'm just not gonna like boast about
it or anything like. That's another day to me.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Hey, now it's out there on the streets. You're doing
this interview, so now everybody knows it's your birthday, me.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
And Keyk's birthday. Happy birthday, key K.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
That's right, key K, you share a birthday with him.
If he was here right now, you definitely would be
overshadowed on a birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm still overshadowed and he's not here.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Hey, you hit your first major league home run two
nights ago. You hit your first pinchhit major league home
run last night. What's it like to be able to
contribute in these ways in whatever role Dave called you open.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's a really good feeling. Because I always want to
provide and be the best I can be. So seeing
the seeing those home runs, she gave me like some
more confidence to go out there and play for you
and and uh produce.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's been a big road trip for you, going back
to Denver you had your first extra base hit. Is
it just a product of being more comfortable or is
it just being able to, you know, see the pictures
better this road trip.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
No, I think I'm a little bit more comfortable now
and I've kind of settled in and I've seen some success.
So it's like I'm building that confidence and now I
feel really good.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Did you need it? I felt like you always believed
you belonged.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, I believed I belong But to to have some
some proof in the pudding, it's like, all right, like
now I really know you know.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Can you feel that in the cage when you're working
with the other veterans. Is that where it kind of turns.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I don't really work with the veterans. It's kind of
get in before. But but no, I do feel confident
and everything else that I'm doing now, like whether it's
hitting in the cage or my drill workout here for defense, like,
I just feel all the confidence.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So that's the life of a rookie. You have to
get into the batting cage before all the other regulars
are veterans show up.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
You bet you better get your work in before.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I walked by the batting cage this morning in San
Diego and Miguel Rojas was in there, so obviously you
snuck in right before he started.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, I was done before he started.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Make sure I didn't make you feel that he knew
it was your birthday. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
I think he knew that it was Keyk's birthday and
then he found out. Oh it's free of those birthday too.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Alex. Talking to other rookies that have come through here
the last fourteen years, they talked about finding a routine
is key to being able to succeed at this level.
Have you found a routine?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I mean yeah, just about every single day, it's pretty
much the same for me. Show up, go prep, get
in the cage, and come out and do my drills
for for defense, and then stretch.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
They don't need everything. Okay, it doesn't sound very exciting
the way you were saying it.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
It's just it's it's simple, it's original, it's nothing fancy.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
It's just work.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yeah. So yeah, it's not it's not gonna sound fun
or or great by any means, but uh, it's what
it is, and it's what I do.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
How do you groom that beautiful statue yours? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Right, don't call it beautiful. I've heard enough.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Hey before I let you go a lot of times.
It's hard to get your home run ball back in
a hostile environment like San Diego. Did you get your
first home run ball back? And what was demanded of you? Yeah,
we got it back.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I signed a bat and a ball and Alex has it.
He's gonna case it up and give it to me in.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
La So there was no negotiating.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I never even at the people. So it's like like
Alex just showed up in the in the dugout and
was like, hey, sign this bat in this ball and
I was like, okay, And that's what we gave him.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
A simple man with a simple plan. But it's working.
Alex Freeland a proud Central Florida University. What's your mascot again, Freeland?
I don't even know. It's not on my radar.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
It's like the nights. But now it's like citronauts.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Okay, all right, we'll leave it right there. Thanks a lot,
your routine, your college mascot, scintillating Happy birthday anyway,
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk. Hey,
it's great to be here in San Diego on a
beautiful Sunday morning with the birthday boy himself and old
twenty four. That is the one and only Alex Freeland.
Happy birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thank you, man, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
You were telling me you're not a guy that likes
to promote his birthday, so you just want this on
the low key.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
No, low key, I'm just not gonna like boast about
it or anything like. That's another day to me.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Hey, now it's out there on the streets. You're doing
this interview, so now everybody knows it's your birthday, me.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
And Keyk's birthday. Happy birthday, key K.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
That's right, key K, you share a birthday with him.
If he was here right now, you definitely would be
overshadowed on a birthday.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm still overshadowed and he's not here.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Hey, you hit your first major league home run two
nights ago. You hit your first pinchhit major league home
run last night. What's it like to be able to
contribute in these ways in whatever role Dave called you open.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's a really good feeling. Because I always want to
provide and be the best I can be. So seeing
the seeing those home runs, she gave me like some
more confidence to go out there and play for you
and and uh produce.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's been a big road trip for you, going back
to Denver you had your first extra base hit. Is
it just a product of being more comfortable or is
it just being able to, you know, see the pictures
better this road trip.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
No, I think I'm a little bit more comfortable now
and I've kind of settled in and I've seen some success.
So it's like I'm building that confidence and now I
feel really good.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Did you need it? I felt like you always believed
you belonged.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, I believed I belong But to to have some
some proof in the pudding, it's like, all right, like
now I really know you know.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Can you feel that in the cage when you're working
with the other veterans. Is that where it kind of turns.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I don't really work with the veterans. It's kind of
get in before. But but no, I do feel confident
and everything else that I'm doing now, like whether it's
hitting in the cage or my drill workout here for defense, like,
I just feel all the confidence.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So that's the life of a rookie. You have to
get into the batting cage before all the other regulars
are veterans show up.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
You bet you better get your work in before.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I walked by the batting cage this morning in San
Diego and Miguel Rojas was in there, so obviously you
snuck in right before he started.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, I was done before he started.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Make sure I didn't make you feel that he knew
it was your birthday. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
I think he knew that it was Keyk's birthday and
then he found out. Oh it's free of those birthday too.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Alex. Talking to other rookies that have come through here
the last fourteen years, they talked about finding a routine
is key to being able to succeed at this level.
Have you found a routine?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I mean yeah, just about every single day, it's pretty
much the same for me. Show up, go prep, get
in the cage, and come out and do my drills
for for defense, and then stretch.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
They don't need everything. Okay, it doesn't sound very exciting
the way you were saying it.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
It's just it's it's simple, it's original, it's nothing fancy.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
It's just work.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yeah. So yeah, it's not it's not gonna sound fun
or or great by any means, but uh, it's what
it is, and it's what I do.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
How do you groom that beautiful statue yours? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Right, don't call it beautiful. I've heard enough.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Hey before I let you go a lot of times.
It's hard to get your home run ball back in
a hostile environment like San Diego. Did you get your
first home run ball back? And what was demanded of you? Yeah,
we got it back.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I signed a bat and a ball and Alex has it.
He's gonna case it up and give it to me in.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
La So there was no negotiating.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I never even at the people. So it's like like
Alex just showed up in the in the dugout and
was like, hey, sign this bat in this ball and
I was like, okay, And that's what we gave him.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
A simple man with a simple plan. But it's working.
Alex Freeland a proud Central Florida University. What's your mascot again, Freeland?
I don't even know. It's not on my radar.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
It's like the nights. But now it's like citronauts.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Okay, all right, we'll leave it right there. Thanks a lot,
your routine, your college mascot, scintillating Happy birthday anyway,
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