The Dodgers are wrapping up their exhibition part of the schedule as they get ready for a Thursday's home opener, and we're joined by a man that has come back to the organization. He returned last year in a freelance type of effort where he was roving in the minor leagues and helping with the major leaguers. But now he has a home. He is the dodgers new first base coach after being the old third base coach. That is former Rangers manager Chris Woodward. Chris, thanks a lot for the time.
Always good to be here.
I feel like the resume is longer. I have to go through the entire resume.
Now, that's a good thing.
Yeah, I've been all over the place now and it's obviously great to be back here. I always you know, once I got here in twenty sixteen, NFLT like it was home. Obviously grew up in LA but just the organization, you know, all the values and principles that we hold here are true to my heart too. So it's good to be back, and it's obviously good to be back in a full time role.
Yeah, it feels like it's seamless because you were so entrenched in the fabric of what the Dodgers were building back even in twenty fifteen.
Yeah, No, it's it's been a phenomenal experience. Obviously for my time before getting to know everybody in the organization, but the last couple of years, especially last year, really digging into a lot of our processes and people and I know every single person in the organization top to bottom, from you know, our lowest level to our highest level.
And it just helps, obviously in this role now to make sure that we're we're doing things consistent throughout the organization and ultimately at this top level, but we're trying to build champions, so that we're building champions throughout the organization.
Speaking of that, you get to see all those young players in one place at Camelback Ranch who stood out to you and really embodies everything that you're preaching.
Shoot, man, we have a bunch of guys.
We do a really good job in the in the draft room, and obviously in the guys that we acquire. There's a lot of guys that we've acquired that are currently on our major league roster, be a you know, designated for assignment or trade or draft, but like just seeing all of the younger guys that we have throughout
the system. We obviously have some guys in Triple A that I know we just sent out and down, but like you know, guys like Alex Freelan, Dalton Rushing U. There's so many guys, uh that are going to contribute to our team. And I know that because they have that kind of you know, material that that we look for not only on the field, but off the field as well.
Chris Woodward, the Dodgers first base coaches back in the organization, you worked a lot with Mookie Betts before spring training even started. How frustrating is it for him to have this stomach virus that has caused him to lose close to twenty pounds.
Yeah, it sucks.
It's not gonna obviously, I think, you know, Mookie so so resilient, so disciplined, and you know, so dedicated to his craft that yes, it's gonna hurt him in the short term, but long term, I think he'll be fine. You know, just watching him work today and all the reports are great. We just got to get him feeling healthy.
But the skill set obviously working on a short stop, you know, the second I got the job we were he wanted to work in November, you know what I mean, we just won the World Series and he's already out there working.
But he didn't.
You know, he basically worked almost every day in the offseason, just trying to figure it out, trying to you know, get this thing as tight as possible so he can be a championship caliber shortstop. I'm really excited to watch him play because he's put so much work into it.
He said last night, it feels like he's having to start the season uphill. How challenging is it going to be for him to play a demanding position and losing as much weight as he did.
Yeah, he's got to obviously, you know, get some calories in him and make sure it's it's He's.
Kind of reminds me of myself. You know, we were both very lean, and I can't relate to that.
It was really hard to gain weight, and if I lost a pound, it was really hard to gain it back. So for him to lose out much weight, it's it's gonna be tough. But he's just got to take it day by day and just you know, if it's six ounces a day that he gains that's all he can do.
That's what he's got to do.
But you know, if anybody can handle that kind of adversity, it's obviously Mookie Betts. He loves a challenge, he loves a chip on his shoulder, and he's out there to prove to the world that he's he's our guy short stop.
And he's part of one of the deepest, if not the deepest lineup in all a Major League baseball. You're gonna be pretty busy this year at first base. Yeah, there's gonna be a lot of traffic over there.
I don't know how many selling base threats we got, but we got some good base runners, guys that you know, play a ton of attention to detail. It's a blast obviously getting to coach these guys because they want to be coached, they want to they want to learn, they want information, even the guys that aren't as fast, you know, the Freddie Freeman's of the world, like that guy stole twenty bases a few years ago.
So it's like it's pretty impressive.
To just just hear the the dedication to how important base running is, and yeah, I'm gonna have a lot of traffic out there. And a lot of a lot of knuckles and guys passing me a lot of left turns for our team.
Show heo Tani last year stole fifty bases. Obviously pitching was not in the cards for him.
Last year.
Clayton McCullough and him had a pretty good relationship. How much is show Hey tapped into you about helping him be a better base runner this year?
Yeah, you know, I actually got to watch it last year, you know, every time I come into town and just to see his dedication and the way he prepa He went from a pretty marginal based runner and base stealer to an elite guy and it was basically based on hard work.
Now, the talent's there, he's.
Fast, but what he the work that he put in on his leads, his first step, you know, getting off the pitch, and then also you know, the back end learning how to slide better. I know he heard himself, but he's he's he's improved in every aspect physically and then mentally, like you know the amount of preparation that he does on a daily basis that what he wants and what he needs.
It's pretty impressive, and he takes it out there with him.
He sees little details on pitchers just to give him a you know, a tenth of a second advantage, just to get it, you know, a better jump.
That's why he was so successful last year.
All right, Woody, great to have you back, seeing you every day. He got the tan going, the glow, the beard.
Everything.
Nothing's changed, especially the big heart Chris Woodward has and the great intentions he has to help the Dodgers succeed.
Thanks a lot for the time.
I appreciate it. I just got a few more great that's all. But yeah, I'll get them excited to be back and win it back to back.
Yeah, love it.
Run it back with Chris Woodward at first base, Dino Ebol as the third base coach.