Los Angeles Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen was in the news on Wednesday for some development work he’s been doing on his cutter. Then he appeared on MLB Networks’ High Heat with Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo to talk about the 2019 season, as well as the season upcoming.
You can see the entire clip below, but let’s take a look at what Kenleys had to say to Russo.
Are the @Dodgers entering 2020 with a chip on their shoulder?
Closer @kenleyjansen74 joined @MadDogUnleashed on #HighHeat ? pic.twitter.com/r6msNYKN40
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 8, 2020
First, Russo asks Jansen on how he’s feeling in preparing for the upcoming season after losing to the Washington Nationals.
“Everything happens for a reason, you know? We don’t want to lose in situations like that, we want to win a championship. But you have to look at it like a blessing and get fully recovered. Since December 22nd I have been working out in LA. I’ve done some research about what’s been going on with my cutter and my body position. I’m following up with all the workouts, my body is feeling great. 2019 is all done, and in 2020 try to have the Dodgers win a championship. That’s what it’s all about.”
Next, Russo asks about the Dodgers’ mindset after the tragic ending to 2019. He wants to know if the Dodgers have a chip on their shoulder.
“You gotta give Washington credit. The starters they have is pretty legit. We have one of the best offensive teams in the league and they held us down a little bit. They went into the second round and it went quick. Then they beat up on the Astros. You gotta give them credit, they’re the World Series champs. At the same time we gotta get it back together. People have to understand with us not making moves, we had a really good team. We gotta be competing and try to get back to the playoffs.”
Indeed the Dodgers of 2019 were a really good team. Still, when you when a franchise record amount of games in the regular season; losing in the NLDS will fail to satisfy the masses.
The Dodgers have to do better, and Jansen knows this. For them to take the next step – he will need to be closer to the pitcher he’s been during his best seasons – and not the one is was for much of 2019.
NEXT: Remaking Dodgers Closer Kenley Jansen
