Jack Dreyer (4-9-25)

Jack talks about the leadership of Blake Treinen, pitching in high leverage situations, and solving Rubik's cubes. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, Tim, I am out of my mental headspace
right now because I'm joined right now by one of
the smartest guys in that Dodger clubhouse. He is going
to make me even more of a mental midget during
these next few minutes as we get set for first
pitch in our nation's capital, and that is Dodger rookie
reliever Jack Dryer. Jack, thanks a lot for the time,
appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Thank you very much for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
What was Blake trying telling you in the food room.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
We just had a little pep talk. He wanted to
make sure that I was aware of, you know, what
to expect in a talk like this, But he had
nothing but good things to say.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
And Blake Tryning, by the way, the first two days
in DC very dressed up, but today he's back to
Blake Tryning with that black tank top.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
I think he must have gotten used to his old roots,
so maybe he's feeling a little bit more comfortable now.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Blake has kind of taken the role of what Daniel
Hudson did for the bullpen last year. How much of
a leader is Blake trying for you guys?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah, he's been great, obviously, you know, one of the
veterans on the team. So he's done a great job
of taking me any other young guys under his wing
and kind of showing us the ropes, telling us what
to expect. But it's not just him, you know, we
have an entire bullpen of good guys like that. So
I'm just very thankful to be a part of the group.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
How do you get prepared for your groupings of hitters,
because we've heard since Dave Roberts and Andrew Freeman took over,
it's not so much about innings, it's about groupings of hitters.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah. I think one thing that the Dodgers do really
well is have excellent communication. So going into games or series,
we know where our lanes might be. But at the
end of the day, our job is to go out
there and just you know, do our job get outs,
help the team have a chance to win. And so
I think over all the bullpen has done an excellent
job of that so far.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
How much does it feed off itself when you come
in and you're facing a high leverage part of the order,
like in Philadelphia striking out Bryce Sharper, facing that part
of their lineup and succeeding, how much does that feed
off itself as far as confidence goes.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, I mean, you know, obviously if you afterwards, if
you go back and look at it, it's a cool moment,
and you know, it's fun to think about. But at
the end of the day, it doesn't matter who you're facing.
You know, our job is to go in there and
throw strikes and get outs, and so that's just all
I try to do.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
It seems like you've been in the league for five years,
the way you're still composed on the mound. How have
you been able to keep your poise and not let
the game get too fast?

Speaker 2 (02:16):
I think, you know, going back to even when I was,
you know, twelve years old, my dad would always tell me,
you know, somebody should be able to watch the game
and not know if you guys are winning or losing
based on your body language. And so I think that's
been a big part of how I try to, you know,
act on the mound. You know, just like you said,
keep my composure and do whatever it takes to let
the team win. And so, you know, antics can stay

(02:39):
out of the game.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Jack Dryer is our guest all business, except when it
comes to Rubik's cubes. How quickly? Can you solve a
Rubik's cube?

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Back in the day when I was when I was
practicing every day, it was thirteen seconds was my best time.
But now I average about, you know, eighteen to twenty.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
So it's like me running the mile. You've slowed down.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yeah, over time, you'll it'll lose your touch eventually.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
How many of your teammates and your bullpen mates know
this about you and how many have tried to challenge
you so far?

Speaker 2 (03:07):
I think it's pretty well known. You know, in spring training,
Dot called me up in front of the team and
had a competition between me and Tommy Edmund and so
Stanford guy, Yeah, Stanford guy, very very bright mind. So
that was a cool moment. But everybody is aware of
it now. I think guys just kind of avoid the topic.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
So how did it end up between you and Tommy
Edmond in front of the team.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
We gave him a bit of a head start and
I was able to I was able to close close
the gap, so it ended up in my favor.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Hey, speaking of all that, obviously we know this game
is all some say ninety percent mental. What are the
mental exercises you go through to get ready to pitch.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah. I think that's one thing that, you know, can
really separate guys. And I think that's why the Dodgers
do such a good job is because we have you know,
mental coaches and coaches who understand the mental side of baseball.
So it's all kinds of things, you know, like poitive
self talk, reinforcement, visualization, all that kind of stuff. So
we're really hitting you know, every step on the way.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
All right, Jack, thanks a lot for the time, appreciate it.
If you ever need a life coach, I'm available this season.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Thank you very much. I'll have to take you up
on that.