April 29, 2024 • 5 mins
Alex talks about the bullpen being a family, and adding a changeup to his pitch mix.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The Dodgers are on their last partof their three city road trip, and
I'm joined right now by Dodger relieverAlex Vesia, who just finished squatting five
hundred pounds. Thanks a lot forthe time, Thank you, Thank you.
Was not I was just doing mymovement prep for the heay, not
squatting five hundred pounds. Off season, maybe I'll get close to the but
(00:20):
during the season, we're keeping it, keeping it light, keeping it fast
twitch. I've always been surprised behindthe scenes in the weight room how competitive
you guys are. Is there acompetition in a good way behind the scenes.
Yeah, I mean there's you know, lifting lifting weight is. It
can be great, it can bean ego field thing. It can be
(00:41):
you know, it can make youtoo tight, right, there's really big
happy medium, right, and weightroom is. Luckily we have traveling you
have to kind of kind of tonethat down here and there. But yeah,
there's days where we're all good afterit. There's other days where I
keep it cool because I you know, I know that recovery is also very
important, right. So yeah,the weight rooms, you'll you'll find me
(01:02):
there eighty five ninety percent of thesign Yeah, that's where you were the
entire pregame session before you went outto throw. Yes, sir, that's
where I'm at, hey, Alex. Speaking of Travis Smith, the Dodgers'
strength and conditioning coach, we alwayssee him in the dugout, pumping up
the guys before first pitch. Doyou have somebody like that in the bullpen?
(01:23):
I mean we all like as agroup, all of us. You
know, when a when a reliefpitcher is exiting the bullpen, where we're
always cheering for him every time.We always tell him, you know,
go get it, be nasty.Some guys you know, say say other
expressions right that I'm not sure I'msupposed to say on the radio, But
yeah, it's you know, definitelyour bullpen. As a group, we
(01:46):
are you know, we're family,man, and you know it's everyone roots
for each other. Everyone's there foreach other, and I think that's what
makes us so special. When theDodgers were on their last road trip,
I caught up with Daniel Hudson andI told him he reminded me of Chase
Uttley Dave Freeze for the relief pictures. Is that inaccurate comparison? Yeah?
Yeah, I would. I mean, I would definitely make that comparison.
(02:07):
Right, HUD's been around for manyyears. You know, he's he's had
World Series experience, right, he'shad failure, he's had success, you
know, and I pick his braindaily, you know, last year and
even you know this year. It'sit's been great to have him in the
bullpen, uh, just because right, he tells it how it is.
(02:28):
You know, he's not gonna sugarcoatanything, and you know, getting that
player, you know, experience andbasically like making sure that you know he's
you know, truthful, and youknow, for myself, like I want
someone that that's going to tell mehow it is. I don't want someone
to lie to me, right,And you know, HUD's always had my
back, and he's definitely our ourveteran o our leader right up there with
(02:51):
Evan, you know. And thenwhen Blake gets back, right, like
them three right, they they're they'rethey're awesome. You know, you can
even throw Joe Kelly in there aswell. Right, Like, every single
person has a unique experience that isdifferent from one another. And I think
you know, if you can pickeach and everyone's brain and stuff, that's
kind of how you kind of fillyour tool bag with different things here and
there. Alex Vesia is our guest, and it's great to see you smile
(03:15):
again. I know you've had areally good road trip and now we're seeing
three pitches from you because you've incorporateda change up. What's been the process
of going from a fastball slider pitcherto now being even more unpredictable. Yeah,
yeah, so, I mean lastyear I tried to implement it was
like a change up splitter ish.It was terrible. It just it didn't
(03:38):
It didn't really like in bullpens andeven in just regular catch play it was
it was good on the mound,could just never really figure it out.
And I scrapped that right from thebeginning. So I was just a fastball
slider for the most part of theyear, and then during the offseason I
kind of just found a grip thatI liked with the changeup and basically talking
(03:58):
with Mark and Connor and Borrow aboutit. It's just implementing it when when
the time's right, not trying tomake that my best pitch, right obviously
my fastball, my slider or thebread and butter what gets guys out,
you know, it is what Ibelieve are my two best pitches. Adding
a third pitch in there makes itharder for the hitter to basically sit on
(04:20):
a specific pitch and out of thebullpen, right, Like, I only
have fifteen or twenty pitches max toget my three maybe four batters out right,
you know, my goal is tois to get them out with as
less a small pitch count as possible. Right, So I'm hot for the
next day. But yeah, itdefinitely it gives me a little bit more
confidence knowing that I can throw thatfour strike pretty much in any count.
(04:44):
So it's nice I don't have wedon't have the same data that you have.
So is it perception or reality thatthe fastball velocity may be down,
but on this road trip you figuredout a way to get the same type
of action. Yeah, yeah,I mean it's you know, my my
fastball has been four right, We'restill in my mind it's early in the
(05:06):
season. You know, if you'velooked at my track record, my velocities
always gets better as the year goeson. So that's something that as long
as I keep working hard, Iknow it will be there, you know.
And and but with like my fastball, selection of like where it is
in the zone, you know,not just right down the middle. You
(05:28):
know, it's been I feel likeI've been hitting the corners a little bit
better and then also landing the slaughderfor a strike. And when I land
the slaughder force strike, good thingshappen. Hey, good things happen for
alex ivetsie A. Good things happenfor the Dodgers. Thanks a lot for
the time I got to do someof my five hundred deadlifts right now.
All right, good luck with that. Make sure the wrist is good.
(05:48):
Make sure you don't use your back. Use your legs, thank you.
That's a spoken as a true pitcher. It's all on the legs.
The Dodgers are on their last partof their three city road trip, and
I'm joined right now by Dodger relieverAlex Vesia, who just finished squatting five
hundred pounds. Thanks a lot forthe time, Thank you, Thank you.
Was not I was just doing mymovement prep for the heay, not
squatting five hundred pounds. Off season, maybe I'll get close to the but
(00:20):
during the season, we're keeping it, keeping it light, keeping it fast
twitch. I've always been surprised behindthe scenes in the weight room how competitive
you guys are. Is there acompetition in a good way behind the scenes.
Yeah, I mean there's you know, lifting lifting weight is. It
can be great, it can bean ego field thing. It can be
(00:41):
you know, it can make youtoo tight, right, there's really big
happy medium, right, and weightroom is. Luckily we have traveling you
have to kind of kind of tonethat down here and there. But yeah,
there's days where we're all good afterit. There's other days where I
keep it cool because I you know, I know that recovery is also very
important, right. So yeah,the weight rooms, you'll you'll find me
(01:02):
there eighty five ninety percent of thesign Yeah, that's where you were the
entire pregame session before you went outto throw. Yes, sir, that's
where I'm at, hey, Alex. Speaking of Travis Smith, the Dodgers'
strength and conditioning coach, we alwayssee him in the dugout, pumping up
the guys before first pitch. Doyou have somebody like that in the bullpen?
(01:23):
I mean we all like as agroup, all of us. You
know, when a when a reliefpitcher is exiting the bullpen, where we're
always cheering for him every time.We always tell him, you know,
go get it, be nasty.Some guys you know, say say other
expressions right that I'm not sure I'msupposed to say on the radio, But
yeah, it's you know, definitelyour bullpen. As a group, we
(01:46):
are you know, we're family,man, and you know it's everyone roots
for each other. Everyone's there foreach other, and I think that's what
makes us so special. When theDodgers were on their last road trip,
I caught up with Daniel Hudson andI told him he reminded me of Chase
Uttley Dave Freeze for the relief pictures. Is that inaccurate comparison? Yeah?
Yeah, I would. I mean, I would definitely make that comparison.
(02:07):
Right, HUD's been around for manyyears. You know, he's he's had
World Series experience, right, he'shad failure, he's had success, you
know, and I pick his braindaily, you know, last year and
even you know this year. It'sit's been great to have him in the
bullpen, uh, just because right, he tells it how it is.
(02:28):
You know, he's not gonna sugarcoatanything, and you know, getting that
player, you know, experience andbasically like making sure that you know he's
you know, truthful, and youknow, for myself, like I want
someone that that's going to tell mehow it is. I don't want someone
to lie to me, right,And you know, HUD's always had my
back, and he's definitely our ourveteran o our leader right up there with
(02:51):
Evan, you know. And thenwhen Blake gets back, right, like
them three right, they they're they'rethey're awesome. You know, you can
even throw Joe Kelly in there aswell. Right, Like, every single
person has a unique experience that isdifferent from one another. And I think
you know, if you can pickeach and everyone's brain and stuff, that's
kind of how you kind of fillyour tool bag with different things here and
there. Alex Vesia is our guest, and it's great to see you smile
(03:15):
again. I know you've had areally good road trip and now we're seeing
three pitches from you because you've incorporateda change up. What's been the process
of going from a fastball slider pitcherto now being even more unpredictable. Yeah,
yeah, so, I mean lastyear I tried to implement it was
like a change up splitter ish.It was terrible. It just it didn't
(03:38):
It didn't really like in bullpens andeven in just regular catch play it was
it was good on the mound,could just never really figure it out.
And I scrapped that right from thebeginning. So I was just a fastball
slider for the most part of theyear, and then during the offseason I
kind of just found a grip thatI liked with the changeup and basically talking
(03:58):
with Mark and Connor and Borrow aboutit. It's just implementing it when when
the time's right, not trying tomake that my best pitch, right obviously
my fastball, my slider or thebread and butter what gets guys out,
you know, it is what Ibelieve are my two best pitches. Adding
a third pitch in there makes itharder for the hitter to basically sit on
(04:20):
a specific pitch and out of thebullpen, right, Like, I only
have fifteen or twenty pitches max toget my three maybe four batters out right,
you know, my goal is tois to get them out with as
less a small pitch count as possible. Right, So I'm hot for the
next day. But yeah, itdefinitely it gives me a little bit more
confidence knowing that I can throw thatfour strike pretty much in any count.
(04:44):
So it's nice I don't have wedon't have the same data that you have.
So is it perception or reality thatthe fastball velocity may be down,
but on this road trip you figuredout a way to get the same type
of action. Yeah, yeah,I mean it's you know, my my
fastball has been four right, We'restill in my mind it's early in the
(05:06):
season. You know, if you'velooked at my track record, my velocities
always gets better as the year goeson. So that's something that as long
as I keep working hard, Iknow it will be there, you know.
And and but with like my fastball, selection of like where it is
in the zone, you know,not just right down the middle. You
(05:28):
know, it's been I feel likeI've been hitting the corners a little bit
better and then also landing the slaughderfor a strike. And when I land
the slaughder force strike, good thingshappen. Hey, good things happen for
alex ivetsie A. Good things happenfor the Dodgers. Thanks a lot for
the time I got to do someof my five hundred deadlifts right now.
All right, good luck with that. Make sure the wrist is good.
(05:48):
Make sure you don't use your back. Use your legs, thank you.
That's a spoken as a true pitcher. It's all on the legs.
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