With the Los Angeles Dodgers reporting to Camelback Ranch this week for Spring Training, the process of knocking off the rust for both pitchers and hitters begins.
While both groups put in their fair share of preparation during the offseason, there is no substitute for live at-bats. It is especially valuable for hitters, as pitching machines, tee work and other hitting drills are no substitute for facing live pitching.
The Dodgers assembled an extremely talented group heading into the 2025 season, which makes them the favorite to win the World Series for a second consecutive year. Having such a talent-laden roster also comes with the added benefit of improvement from internal competition. As the old proverb goes, iron sharpens iron.
During an appearance on “Foul Territory,” Teoscar Hernández said he is looking forward to testing himself against Dodgers pitchers and in particular Roki Sasaki:
“Of course. You want to try every single scenario from your teammates. Sasaki will be one of my – not targets – but I will be so happy to be at home plate facing him to see what he has. Really excited for him, for the team and this season.”
The ability for hitters to log at-bats against the likes of Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell is not a luxury afforded to most teams.
It goes both ways as well, with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani able to give advice to the pitching staff on attacking the league’s best hitters.
The situation paid great dividends last season as the Dodgers won the team Silver Slugger Award and had one of the better pitching staffs in baseball when healthy.
Dodgers workouts during Spring Training
Dodgers Spring Training workouts are open to the general public on a daily basis, and parking at Camelback Ranch is free.
The Dodgers are scheduled to hold their first full-squad workout on Saturday.
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