Friday marked the official start of spring training 2024. Dodgers pitchers, catchers, and a group of position players got to work at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, but much of the focus was on newcomers and superstars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani met with the media around mid-morning, taking questions in English and in Japanese from a sizeable group of reporters.

One of the top questions was about his transition to a new team after spending the last six seasons with the crosstown Angels. “I’m on a brand new team,” Ohtani said through his interpreter Ippei, “so I’m going to act like I’m a rookie and try to get along with all the guys, and get along with my teammates.”

He also confirmed that he currently has zero restrictions swing wise and expects to face live pitchers and hit off high-velocity pitching machines in the next few days.

Shohei Ohtani Scrum

The other star of the show at CBR was fellow offseason signing and Japanese countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto who threw his first official bullpen as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Shortstop Gavin Lux stood in at the plate to see some pitches from Yamamoto during his bullpen session and offered up some thoughts on his new teammate to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.

“Really nasty,” said Lux. “Everything is firm. The splitter plays like it’s 90-92. Fastball feels firmer than 94-95. The curveball, everything. It’s a four-pitch mix for a strike. And the little slide step he does makes everything play up. I think he’s gonna have a lot of success really fast.”

Yamamoto was also filmed throwing his famous javelins and playing catch with Walker Buehler on one of the backfields at the Dodgers’ spring training complex.

Daily Dave

Manager Dave Roberts spent a few minutes with a larger-than-usual group of reporters (for this early in camp) as well for his daily availability discussing, among other things, the “pinch me” moments that come with seeing Ohtani in a Dodgers uniform.

He also praised the work ethic of the two-time AL MVP Ohtani in their first day at camp.

“Just watching him work, everything he does is intentional. Which is pretty amazing, but not surprising.”

Why Did They Change the Dodger Uniform?

One point of contention online from fans was a first extended look at the new MLB uniform changes put into effect for the season. MLB and uniform partner Nike unveiled a new template over the offseason that forces some bland changes to some of the league’s most iconic uniforms.

The changes have been universally panned. Today as Dodgers fans got to see some of the players in uniform for the first time, it caused a little stir on X/Twitter.

Maybe mostly from me.

The way that name looks on the back of the jersey you’d think these are some Sunday beer league in Reseda.

Additional info on the changes can be found here from the guys at DodgerBlue.com.

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Clint Pasillas
Clint Pasillas
https://www.alldodgers.com
Clint Pasillas is owner and Editor in Chief of AllDodgers.com. He's been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008 and was the Lead Editor at Dodgers Nation as well as Inside the Dodgers, Halos Today, and Inside the Padres, all under the Sports Illustrated umbrella. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!
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