Dodgers Interview: Roberts lets veterans set the tone on Day One in camp
CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ– Tuesday in Arizona had was buzzing with first-day-of-school energy as it was the first “official” day of Spring Training, with all Dodgers, pitchers and position players, in camp and ready to roll (sort of). Dave Roberts gave a little speech to the squad, but he made it clear from the outset that he was going to let his veterans take the lead.
“I feel good. I’m excited. Our players are excited, coach excited. It’s good to get everyone together and, you know, start our journey for 2026,” Roberts said. “And I think there’s always optimism early like every camp. And so now it’s just kind of trying to sustain that energy, that focus every day and put those blinders on and get to work.”
When he was asked about a theme for the season, Roberts talked about attention and perspective, and keeping the team’s eyes on what actually matters once the calendar turns from February to the daily grind of the regular season.
“I think for us, it’s just more of looking forward, focusing on ourselves and what that means and not kind of concerning ourselves with outside expectations, noise, other teams,” Roberts said. “And that’s what we’ve done a pretty good job of in years past. And with that, that should remain the same.”
That focus, Roberts said, gets reinforced when the tone comes from the top of the roster. The idea of players policing themselves works best when the stars set the pace and everyone else follows it.
“Absolutely. There’s nothing more powerful than your best players being the best workers, echoing my thoughts about what it takes to be great and consistent,” Roberts said. “And so now with those guys, along with other guys that we have that understand the blueprint to win a championship and then you add in guys that chose to be here who are very talented so it’s a recipe to do some special things but everyone in that room understands that it’s a day-to-day thing it’s a long road ahead of us and we got to prove it every day.”
Roberts also got asked about one of those early-camp moments that still grabs everyone’s attention: Alex Vesia facing Shohei Ohtani and letting the emotion show after winning the matchup with a strikeout of the four-time MVP. Roberts framed it as part of who Vesia is, and part of what makes camp feel alive even before the games count.
“You know what? I wasn’t necessarily taken aback because Alex is a very intense player and everything matters to him, you know, and whether it’s a live or it’s a playoff game or regular season game, that same intensity shows up,” Roberts said. “And so certainly with a player like Shohei, you don’t ever want to get embarrassed. And he brought his best and struck him out. And I think Shohei was a little surprised emotion, but he gets it, you know, and that’s what you want that player.”
He kept it simple after that, tying the moment back to the larger point: the standard shows up early, and that’s a good sign for how the next few weeks should look.
“Yeah, it’s alive, it’s the first day of one of the early days of spring training, but it still matters and that’s a good thing for all of us,” Roberts said.
Roberts did address the team, and he described it as a mix of last year’s ending and this year’s approach, with the same core values he leans on every spring. The message, in his telling, was about how the work gets done day after day, and the mindset of playing deep into the year again.
“I did, I did,” Roberts said. “It was just kind of talking about, talking a little bit about last year and what we accomplished and how we got there and talking about this year and expectations. And a lot of it is the same of just again, continuing to focus on the right things, the little things and how we go about practicing and playing, keeping that enthusiasm and buckling up for the long season ahead and expect to play through October. So a lot of the same values that I believe in, that we believe in, just reiterated.”
He also mentioned a handful of players who spoke up, including some new faces, and he liked what that moment does for a room that’s blending championship carryover with fresh additions.
“Yeah, I mean, [Kyle] Tucker, [Edwin] Diaz, Miggy Ro [Miguel Rojas], Will [Smith], just kind of had a little couple things, Mookie [Betts],” Roberts said. “No, it was just more about what made the Dodgers attractive to them. And I think it’s powerful for our guys to hear it from the other side, from somebody who hasn’t been here. And so it was a great message from quick notes from each of those guys, which is great. And it’s important. It’s powerful for our players to hear from each other.”
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