Today named the Minor League Player of the Year, the one and only legend Dalton Rushing. Thanks a lot for the time. Great to see you here at Dodgers Stadium. I want a uniform for Dalton Rushing here very soon though.
Sounds good. I'm all on boy for that.
Good to be here, David, Yeah, man, I always talked to a camel back branch. But for you to be here at Dodgers Stadium, to be celebrated and recognized for the hard work, what does that mean to you?
It means a lot. Every player going into a season, a full season especially, has goals for themselves, and to say this wasn't one of them, I'd be lying. This is something. It's a big honor, especially in an organization like this. The talent that we carry top to bottom, it's pretty special and I'm excited.
I think that's the biggest thing. Right, You're not just in another organization. You beat out some really good players.
Absolutely, there's tons of great years throughout this as players, tons of great guys that had like crazy years this year in the organization, and obviously they get all the respect they're gonna have or need through the Dodgers And just to get this award, I said, it means the world.
I know we're always waiting for that call to the big leagues, but can you describe just being rewarded for the work at Double A and getting the call to Triple A?
Yeah? Absolutely, It's it shows you how close you are, kind of like puts things into perspective, like, hey, like you're one not close and too You've done all these things that one of the hardest leagues to play at in Minor league Baseball, and then moving to Triple A it was like pretty easy, man. I mean, you see a lot of these guys rehabbing in the clubhouse. It's you get to be on the same team, play on the same field as a lot of these guys, and it's it's something special.
For You've also made the transition from catching to playing left field. When I heard that, I was thinking a young Kyle Schwarber.
Yeah, I hear that comp a lot, and that's I wouldn't say that's a bad comp. I'd love to have a Kyle Schwarber here in LA.
Can you tell us the biggest difference for you going from catching to playing left field?
Perspective? For sure, it's it's a lot different. You're in control behind the play. It allows you to kind of like control the game as much as possible, and being moved out there to left field, you just kind of control what things are like brought to you. So flyball is obviously the basics of baseball, but you're you're not really in full control as you are behind the plate.
I was wondering, do you still think the game the same way in left field?
Absolutely, I'm I'm thinking pitch to pitch, I'm thinking, hey, are what are we calling right here? If I'm a catcher, what can I anticipate from a hitter right now? And those are some of the things that just run through my head. I wouldn't say a normal left fielder, it's thinking about how someone's calling the game behind the plate. But being a catcher obviously in the past time, I'm thinking every pitch.
Well, I heard that's a big deal for infielders and outfielders, the pre pitch thinking through what might happen.
Yeah, it's a thing for sure, just kind of like anticipating what could be thrown. As a hitter, you understand like if this is thrown, the odds of you pulling this baseball or shooting this baseball the other way or like much higher with different pitch shapes. So just kind of understanding the game from left field means a lot.
Dalton Rushing is our guest. He is the Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year for twenty twenty four. So how many iving catches have you made out there in left field?
I have like two months under my belt and I only have one, so I could, I could for sure stag, I could for sure step it up a little bit.
Hey, I've heard that if you make a diving grab sometimes it's not the greatest jump, So that means you're getting good jumps on the ball.
Absolutely. Yeah, No, I feel more and more comfortable out there each and every day.
The one thing that strikes me the most about you.
I mean, I'm not gonna pretend that I know about angles, swings anything like that, but even in spring training, it felt like you could tell how competitive you are and the swings that you take.
You are not short changed.
No, absolutely not. I take pride in understanding the time to do damage and the time not to do damage, and I think that's something that really shows in my game. A lot is understanding the shrike zone and taking my shots when they're given. And I think that's the biggest thing, is a power hitter.
It sounds like you have different clubs in your bag.
No, I'd say I have one club. I stick with the driver. I stick with the driver.
Are you telling me you won't shoot one the opposite way.
Will when the opportunity is presented. But especially on a golf course, You're never gonna see me shy away from a driver from the tea box.
But you're not great at the putts.
Putting's not my game. I will say, pudding is not my game. Go in your hole, Yeah, exactly, happy GOI Moore style.
Dalton Rushing is our guest. All right, Dalton.
When you come out here to Dodgers Stadium and you look out, do you envision yourself? Are you visualizing yourself hitting home runs here? I mean there's your manager, Dave Roberts. He's visualizing Dalton Rushing one day.
Yeah. It's it's pretty cool just to kind of step on this field. You kind of see, like once I said earlier, like perspective. It's understanding what it's like to step in the box in front of this many people and understand that if this is what you want to do for the next ten years to come. It's it's something you kind of become like accustomed to pretty quickly.
Well, the foundation of the Dodgers, even going back to twenty thirteen Seeger Bellinger, Jack Peterson. It's with guys like you from the farm system, and I'm sure that's got to be special for you too.
Yeah, it's pretty cool. With the track record of the player of the years to the Dodgers organization in the past ten years, it's pretty crazy. And I mean everyone can go look for themselves as you see the names and you're like, wow, I see a lot of these guys on TV each and every day. So yeah, it's it's something to for sure take us an honor, but there's plenty more to be done.
Hey, no doubt, the work is never done. Dalton Rushing be ready. One day soon we want to see Dalton Rushing playing here at Dodger Stadium.
Absolutely, thank you so much. I'm excited.
Thank you for the time. Good smelling minor league kid too, Dalton Rushing. We'll send it back to you in the studio.