Ohtani's Impact on the Dodgers: Key to Three-Peat Success?
Shohei Ohtani's batting focus is key for the Dodgers' three-peat ambitions, underscoring his rising significance. Ohtani is a Cy Young candidate this season.
Video Transcript
You said this a couple weeks ago.
You said, "Hang in there, Ohtani's gonna get back to being the batter Ohtani is."
And we're starting to see that now.
This guy's on a heater a little bit.
That average is up near .300 again.
I mean, he's throwing BBs off the mound.
Bob, in your opinion, down the stretch for the Dodgers, is he gonna be more important on the hill or at the dish for the Dodgers as they try to three-peat?
I think it'd be more important, you know, a- at the plate.
They're, they've been more erratic offensively.
They got the pitching depth.
they don't need him to go, you know, seven innings or anything like that.
just go five, six innings and, and be healthy, you know, come, come playoff time.
but no, I, I think offensively, they've been very streaky offensively.
They need him to be more consistent at, at the plate, then they're fine.
And, you know, right now he's tearing it up just like the old days.
You know, I, I had a conversation yesterday about Andrew Friedman.
You and I have spoken about him.
I think people are just under the notion, Bob, that it's all about just stroking checks for these big name guys.
But Bob, is there a better minor league franchise and a better minor league organization right now than the Dodgers?
I mean, they got a kid down there that's a pitcher that you could bring up right now that could start in numerous places all over Major League Baseball.
I mean, Andrew Friedman took a little bit of what he did with the Rays, and he got that open checkbook to do whatever he feels like.
And I mean, look, I go back to Theo Epstein, Dave Dombrowski, some of the great general manager we've seen over the last 20 years, but Bob, this guy's not just about the big checkbook, is he?
He's truly a foundational builder for an organization.
Oh, absolutely.
you know, if there was a salary cap, I think he would show it.
You know, you look at that franchise, they got 12 homegrown, guys, on that 26-man roster.
That's, you know, 12 guys.
And, so it's not like you're just buying talent everywhere.
you know, hey, they could trade for Mookie Betts.
They could sign Freddie Freeman.
Wasn't that outrageous.
Now was the Tucker contract outrageous?
You know, it was.
can they cover up mistakes like with the, the bullpen when Tanner Scott didn't work out, with Edwin Diaz?
Yeah, they can do that.
But, you know, they're, they're smart.
They do things better than everybody else.
Their minor league system, you know, produces players, particularly the pitchers, but they're, they're absolutely loaded.
That's why they can, They wanted to get Tarik Skubal without blinking because they have the prospects to do so.
Is there a rumor out there, too, Aroldis Chapman could also be a Dodger?
I mean, Bob, this is getting obnoxious now.
I mean, this is, this is like your fantasy baseball team that you're picking.
If these guys end up getting Chapman to close the door at the back end, is that a true rumor, too?
Well, yeah, I haven't heard that with the Dodgers.
He, I mean, he's certainly gonna be available.
I mean, they're still gonna have Diaz back in August.
You got Tanner Scott.
But yeah, if they got him, I mean, it wouldn't be outrageous in the sense where, you know, San Diego Padres have done that with that bullpen.
It would be an unbelievable, get if they got him.
but yeah, I mean, he's gonna be a guy everybody wants.
I mean, it seemed like Milwaukee could use him a lot more than the Dodgers
