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'Straight grinder.' How new Dodger Alex Call became one of MLB's toughest at

Published

5 months ago

August 9, 2025

'Straight grinder.' How new Dodger Alex Call became one of MLB's toughest at

At the end of the 2019 minor-league season, Alex Call looked at his hitting numbers, then looked himself in the mirror.

A former third-round draft pick who had already changed organizations once, he knew he had just had the kind of year that typically portends a short professional career.

As a 24-year-old outfielder at the double-A level in the Cleveland Guardians organization, Call had taken 325 plate appearances that year with the Akron RubberDucks. In 93 of them — a rate of nearly 30% — he recorded a strikeout.

It wasn’t the only ugly stat in a season that saw Call bat just .205, reach base at a .266 clip and hit only five home runs. But it was the biggest sign of a fundamental flaw plaguing the right-handed hitter’s game.

“That,” he recalled recently, while reflecting on what became a turning point moment in his career, “just wasn’t gonna get it done.”

Six years later, Call joined the Dodgers as a trade deadline addition last week with a polar opposite reputation. Now, the defensively versatile outfielder is one of the harder outs in all the majors. Since the start of last season, his .297 batting average ranks eighth among MLB hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. More important, over that same span, he ranks top 60 in strikeout rate and walk rate (with a 55-to-39 ratio overall), and 22nd in chase rate; consistently putting together some of the better at-bats in all the sport.

“This guy’s just a straight grinder, works at-bats,” general manager Brandon Gomes said after the Dodgers acquired Call from the Washington Nationals in exchange for two pitching prospects. “Playing against him, he’s always incredibly frustrating to try to game plan for and get out.”

“I’ve faced Alex a few times,” added future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw. “He’s tough against lefties, a great defender. A good add, for sure.”

The Dodgers, of course, could have made splashier adds at the deadline. They were linked to All-Star caliber names, including Steven Kwan of the Guardians, but didn’t splurge to pay such inflated deadline prices.

Instead, they settled for Call, who was a smaller name but came with team control through 2029. They put their faith in his overhauled offensive skill set, hopeful a personal transformation more than half-a-decade in the making will make him a key piece in their pursuit of a second straight World Series title.

“That is my whole game,” Call said on the day he arrived with the club. “I am going to grind out at-bats, put the ball in play, take my walks, make it tough on the pitcher, lengthen out the lineup.”

The origins of that mindset date to that 2019 season, and the pandemic-altered year that followed.

Entering 2020, Call committed to a change at the plate. In what was a crowded pipeline of outfielders in the Guardians system — highlighted at that time by Kwan, who has since blossomed into one of the best left fielders in the game — he recognized he needed a new identity. If he was going to reach the majors, it was going to start with simply working better at-bats.

“It’s a bad feeling,” he said, “having a cloud hanging over your head after a season like that.”

The only problem: COVID-19 came, the 2020 minor league season was canceled, and Call (like so many other minor-league long shots clinging to big-league dreams) was left effectively on his own.

So, he found different ways to improve his bat.

As the baseball world shut down, Call bought a portable Junior Hack Attack hitting machine with a self-feeding ball dispenser. And everywhere he went that year — from spring training housing in Phoenix to his childhood home in Wisconsin to his family’s offseason residence in Indiana — he sought out any place “I could find a hitting cage and an outlet” to use it, he said laughing.

His focus was simple. Work on hitting fastballs up in the strike zone. Eliminate what had been one of the biggest holes in his swing.

“For me, it’s just about having that mentality to where, it doesn’t matter if I have two strikes or if it’s an 0-0 count,” he said. “Believe I’m comfortable in every situation. I’m going to put the ball in play.”

By that winter, Call sought out a more advanced piece of training technology as well.

Over the previous couple years, a company called Win Reality had begun manufacturing virtual reality hitting goggles — using data-driven models, actual video and computer-generated images to recreate virtual at-bats against real pitchers from a hitter’s point of view inside Oculus-style headsets.

A handful of MLB teams, including the Dodgers, had invested in the system for their teams. In the months leading up to the 2021 season, Call decided to do the same for himself, buying the $300 product (and paying for its annual $200 software program) to help couple his new swing with a more discerning approach.

“[I was] just really practicing the zone,” Call said. “Knowing what pitches are my strengths and what pitches I don’t want to swing at until two strikes. Developing that plan and developing that approach.”

The training paid off.

At the start of the 2021 season, Call was sent back to double-A Akron. When he arrived, he was informed by manager Rouglas Odor that he would only be slated to play 2-3 games per week — a quick reminder of how far down the organization depth chart he’d fallen.

“I remember him being very disappointed,” Odor, now the Guardians’ big-league third-base coach, recalled this week. “But he took ownership of his career, and didn’t let what I told him affect him.”

Call’s chance arrived that May, after Kwan went down with a hamstring injury. And almost immediately, his COVID-year changes took effect. Over 180 plate appearances, Call hit .310, drew 21 walks and — just as he’d hoped — cut his strikeout rate by half, punching out only 26 times.

“He was a totally different hitter,” said Odor, who had also been Call’s manager during his dismal 2019 campaign. “Defensively, he was already to play in the big leagues. He made some unbelievable plays … But offensively, he found his stroke. His plate discipline was more consistent. And he had an unbelievable season.”

By the end of the season, Call had been promoted to triple-A. The next July, he earned a promotion to the majors.

The ascent from there wasn’t linear. In August 2022, he was designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Nationals. In 2023, he played in 128 big-league games but hit only .200, sending him back to triple-A for most of last year.

Alex Call bats against the Houston Astros on July 28 as a member of the Washington Nationals. (Karen Warren / Associated Press)

Still, his plate discipline didn’t waver (he struck out only 78 times in his 439 plate appearances in 2023, an 18% rate, while also drawing 53 walks). His VR routine only became more ingrained, seeing upward of 54,000 simulated pitches (or, essentially 25 seasons’ worth of throws) through his headset each year, as he told the Washington Post last month.

It all has clicked over the last calendar year, with Call following up a productive return to the majors at the end of 2024 with his best full-season performance this term.

“The type of player that I am, I can hit the ball over the fence, but it’s not really my full game,” Call said. “So for me, it was about trying to create as many opportunities to get on base as possible … I have to be able to hit the ball at good angles.”

Call is one of only four players with at least 200 plate appearances this season (along with Kyle Tucker, Gleyber Torres and Geraldo Perdomo) who strikes out less than 15% of the time, chases less than 20% of the time and whiffs less than 20% of the time. He has hit .236 with two strikes (better than everyone else on the Dodgers except Hyeseong Kim).

He had his first standout game with the Dodgers on Wednesday, when he singled, doubled and made a catch while crashing into the left-field wall to save an extra-base hit.

Eight at-bats into his Dodgers career entering Friday’s game, he has also yet to strike out once.

“I’m always proud of players like Alex, because he wasn’t this big prospect, but he became an everyday big-league player,” Odor said. “He had the urgency to make something happen in order to reach his goal, and his dream.”

And now, Call is aiming to take his career one step further — to be not just a productive big-league bat, but one capable of playing an impactful role on a title-contending club in Los Angeles.

“I always knew that I could do it and be an established major leaguer,” Call said. “It’s just, sometimes it takes a little bit of time. And I’m grateful that I was given that time, and just continued to get better.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Sports

Spartans Capture a Pair of Event Titles at Wolverine Invitational

Published

6 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

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Date: Saturday, Jan. 10
Location: U-M Indoor Track & Field Building | Ann Arbor, Mich.
Live Results

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State indoor track & field returned to action at the Wolverine Invitational Saturday capturing a pair of event titles.

In the men’s pole vault, Adam Blue finished first with a personal best vault of 5.13m. He cleared 4.90m and 5.13m on his first attempts, but was not able to clear 5.23m. His previous high was 4.97m at the Spartan Invitational in 2024.

Michigan State’s other event win came in the field events with Leila Barmore winning the women’s long jump. She reached her longest jump on her second attempt, reaching 5.78m. Gabrielle Jeffries finished 14th with a jump of 5.15m.

In the men’s long jump, Andrew Harding finished fifth with a long jump of 7.19m. Dylan Terryberry set a new PR in the high jump (1.88m), finishing seventh.

In running events, Logan Allen finished third in the final of the men’s 60m hurdles with a time of 8.05. Cameron Cheetam qualified for the final of the men’s 60m after qualifying with a time of 6.87. In the final, he finished third, crossing in 6.81. In the prelim, Carter Bissell set a new personal best in the 60m prelim with a time of 7.11.

In the women’s 300m, Elizabeth Anderson and Alexys Wilson both had personal bests. Anderson finished 11th with a time of 39.61. Wilson was 14th with a time of 40.38.

Michigan State will return to Ann Arbor next week for the Simmons Harvey Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 17.

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Men’s Track & Field Opens Indoor Slate With Snowflake Invitational

Published

23 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

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Andreas Panagos set a new personal record in the weight throw at the Snowflake Invitational.

The Middlebury men’s track and field team opened the indoor campaign in strong form, accumulating 10 event titles during its annual Snowflake Invitational on Saturday from Virtue Field House.

HIGHLIGHTS

Caleb Smith secured the top spot in the long jump with a leap of 6.73 meters, headlining a Panther sweep of the top-six spots. He also won the pole vault by clearing 4.25 meters.

Toby Warmack posted a 1.97m effort in the high jump to grab gold. Sam McGarrahan and Smith followed in second and third place at 1.87 meters each.

The 400m race saw Joey Caspar cross the finish line first with a time of 49.87 seconds. Emerson Kington followed in second place at 50.81, while Wyatt Lawton rounded out the podium finishers (51.03).

Andreas Panagos logged a toss of 14.36m to earn top honors in the weight throw.

Donnell Harvey Jr. opened the indoor season in style, taking first in the 60m race (6.90). The sophomore also finished in the top spot during the 200 with a time of 22.49.

Jack Ulrich led the pack in the 800, clocking in at 2:03.42.

Owen Johnson crossed the finish line in 8:54.45 to win the 3,000, while Felix Rogovin posted a time of 9:05.50 to earn second.

The final top placing came for the Panther 4×400 relay team. Kington, Caspar, Nate Gardner and Sebastian Pantzer logged a combined clocking of 3:28.62.

Pantzer also logged a runner-up effort in the 200 (22.83) with Gardner trailing in third by one-tenth of a second.

Smith and Quinn Kennedy landed second and third in the 60 hurdles, respectively. Smith’s time of 8.63 seconds sat nine-tenths of a second off the winner, while Kennedy’s 8.64-second effort set a new personal best.

Kennedy and Calvin Szoradi rounded out the top-three performers in the shot put at 12.76 meters and 12.56 meters, respectively.

Tony Wang placed second in the triple jump, soaring 13.05 meters, while Caden Cote cleared 4.10 meters to finish as the runner-up in the pole vault.

NOTES

Panagos moved the weight 1.44 meters further than his prior best effort in the navy and white.

Middlebury returns to the Virtue Field House to host its annual Winter Classic. The action begins on Friday at 2:00 p.m., followed by the second day of competition at 9:00 a.m. Saturday.

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Hoosiers Finish Strong in Final Day of Rod McCravy

Published

38 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

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Louisville, Ky. – Indiana track and field closes the Rod McCravy Invitational on Saturday (January 10) inside Norton Sports & Learning Center with several personal bests and individual event winners.

“I was very pleased with our effort this weekend,” said head coach Ed Beathea. “We broke 2 school records and had several outstanding performances. This was a very positive start to the season for us.”

The final day had a heavy focus on the track, starting with the sprints. Jasiah Rogers earned the first win of the day in the 60-meter sprint with his time of 6.77.

Several personal bests were broken in the men’s and women’s 300 meter. Kristina Vincic ran a 39.78 in the women’s contest. Trelee Banks-Rose continued to extend his school record time with his time of 32.89, winning the race. Tamer Saleh (9^th) and Christian Woodson (11^th) also set personal bests with times of 34.04 and 34.09, respectively.

In the 800, the Hoosiers had seven finishers in the top 15 in the women’s race, including Nola Somers Glenn (2^nd; 2:08.77), Lily Myers (3^rd; 2:08.86 PR), Catie McCabe (4^th; 2:09.56 PR), Michaela Quinn (6^th; 2:12.99), Ellia Hayes (2:15.85 PR), Joey Rastrelli (13^th; 2:17.00), and Ava Jarrell (14^th; 2:17.42).

Nico Colchico ran to the win as the lone Hoosier in the men’s 800 meter with his time of 1:49.50.

The Hoosiers had two finishers in the top 10 with Katelyn Winton (4:56.15) and Maddie Rocchio (5:02.11) finishing seventh and ninth, respectively.

Jessica Hegedus (9:53.68) and Mary Eubank (10:05.98) each recorded personal best times to finish fifth and ninth, respectively in the women’s 3,000-meter run.

The track closed with season best times in the men’s and women’s 4×400 relays. The quartet of Kristina Vincic, Veronica Hargrave, Ava Olomajeye, and Kiera Davis ran a time of 3:39.98, finishing sixth overall.

In the men’s race, the team of Cameron Mullens, Kalen Sargent, Tyler Tarter, and Daquan Tate recorded a fourth place finish with a time of 3:11.14.

In the field, Kelly Moran (12.14m/39-10) started the day with an eighth place finish in the women’s triple jump.

Tyler Carrell followed in the pole vault with a second place finish off a season best mark of 5.40m/17-8.5. Lukas Brauc (5.00m/16-4.75) also opened his first meet as a Hoosier with a sixth place finish.

In the shot put, Seth Brosseau claimed a fifth place finish with his distance of 17.03m/55-7.5.

The Hoosiers will be back at home next week as they host the Indiana Invitational. The meet will span two days from Friday, January 16, to Saturday, January 17.

Follow Indiana track and field and cross country via X, Facebook and Instagram.

#NeverDaunted

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Track and Field Competes at Dartmouth to Open up 2026

Published

55 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

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HANOVER, N.H. – The Brown track and field teams returned to action for the first time since the holiday break on Saturday afternoon at the Ivy vs. America East Challenge, hosted by Dartmouth.

With only partial squads traveling from both Brown programs, the women’s team finished in second place in the meet, coming in behind first place Dartmouth, and ahead of third place Vermont and fourth place UMass Lowell.

The men’s team placed fourth behind Dartmouth, UMass Lowell, and Vermont, respectively.

WOMEN
Junior Alyssa Jackson led the way in the 60m dash with a time of 7.71 seconds, with freshman Anya Anderson also earning a point for her fourth place finish in 8.06. Junior Anna Pollak took runner-up at 26.77 in the 200 meters and freshman Sydney Ruckett (58.25) took first place in the 400m dash.

Brown took three of the top four spots in the finals of the 60m hurdles, with Simone Dunbar (8.89) placing second, followed by Jannah Maguire (8.97) and Kareema McKenzie (9.02) in third and fourth, respectively.

In the field events, senior Nene Mokonchu finished in a three-way tie for first place in the high jump at 1.65m. In the long jump, senior Rachel Bibiu (5.38m) took second place and freshman Clara Fan (5.26m) finished third. The Bears also picked up a win and nine points in the triple jump with freshman Joyce Olawalye winning the event at 11.53m. Fan (1.28m) took second and Bibiu (11.03m) finished fourth.

Sophomore Giana DeCesare took runner-up in the weight throw with her mark of 15.32 meters, and junior Amiya Hopkins finished fourth in the shot put with a 12.47m mark.

MEN

Leading the way for Brown on the track were senior sprinters Elias Archie and Solomon Miller, with Archie taking home first place in the 60m dash by crossing the finish line in 6.88 seconds, followed by Miller in third place in 6.93.

Junior Jake Haley scored a point with his fourth place finish in the 500 meters with a time of 1:07.18.

In the field events, junior Gabriel Liem Thai took second place in the pole vault (4.45m), freshman Jerald Evangelista placed third in the triple jump (13.27m), and freshman Sean Wilton finished third in the shot put (15.30m).

The Bears will return to action next Saturday, January 17 at the Beantown Challenge at Harvard.

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Tigers Win Six Events at Alexis Jarrett Invitational

Published

1 hour ago

January 11, 2026

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Mizzou track and field opened its indoor track and field season Saturday hosting the second annual Alexis Jarrett Invitational at the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse and claimed six event titles, despite competing a limited number of student-athletes.

Other schools competing included SIU-Edwardsville, Central Methodist, Kansas City, Iowa Western Community College, Barton County Community College and Cottey College.

TOP TIGERS

Senior sprinter Robert Hines was a two-time winner. He claimed the 200m dash with a time of 21.82 – just four-tenths of a second off his indoor personal best – and also won the 60m dash in 6.87.

Senior Anna Vedral won the women’s pole vault at the Alexis Jarrett Invitational for the second straight year clearing 3.90m (12-9.5) and sophomore Anna Ferguson (3.60/11-9.75) took second after tying for the runner-up spot a year ago.

Senior Petra Gombas secured the Alexis Jarrett Invitational title for the second straight year with a throw of 19.91m (62-11.5).

RECAP

Sophomore Marlena Tresnjo won the women’s high jump at 1.76m (5-9.25).

The Tigers were especially strong in the throwing events.

Junior Garik Pozecki had a spirited competition with SIU-Edwardsville’s Grant Milbrath in the men’s weight throw and finished second by a single centimeter, throwing 21.62m (70-11.25), a personal best and the sixth-best mark ever at Mizzou, to Milbrath’s 21.63m (70-11.75). Teammates Clayton Kamp and T.J. Wiggins followed Pozecki in third and fourth with respective throws of 17.92m (58-9.5) and 16.83m (55-2.75).

The Tigers swept the women’s weight throw, taking the top five positions. Gombas’ victory was followed by teammates Reagan Kimrey (19.12/62-8.75), Delilah Pippen (PR – 16.72/54-10.25), Ames Burton (16.62/54-6.5) and Kaitlyn Morningstar (PR – 16.60/54-5.5).

Junior Chase Crawford won the men’s shot put with a personal best throw of 17.62m (57-9.75). Teammates Sam Albert (PR – 15.83m/51-11.25) and Kamp (14.86m/48-9) were third and fifth, respectively.

In his Mizzou debut, Houston transfer Dillon Leacock was second in the 60m hurdles (8.29) and eighth in the 200m dash (22.44) – both events in which he had not competed before.

Multi-event athlete Sophia Wydra, a freshman, also made her debut in the black-and-gold and competed in three events: women’s long jump, sixth, 5.45m (17-10.75); women’s 60m hurdles, ninth, 9.24; and shot put, third (11.42m/37-5.75).

Former Tiger Arianna Fisher, competing unattached, won the women’s triple jump (12.81m/42-0.50), an event in which she holds the Missouri school indoor record (14.06m/46-1.5).

UP NEXT

Next week, Missouri hosts its second of five consecutive home meets – the Show-Me Showdown – inside the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse on Friday, Jan. 16.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For all the latest on Mizzou Track and Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and X (MizzouTFXC).

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Second School Record Falls; Sewell Succeeds in World Championships on Saturday – University of Cincinnati Athletics

Published

1 hour ago

January 11, 2026

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CINCINNATI — One day after Juliette Laracuente-Huebner broke the long-jump record, the Cincinnati track and field team witnessed a youth movement with the 4×400 relay team taking over the top spot, a group with two freshmen and a sophomore.

That foursome included Ade Lloyd (who in his debut claimed the school’s 300-meter crown), John Apel, Camden Beatty and Romaro Knight, notching a 3:12.70 mark.

Gianni Allwein captured the mile title with a 4:08.17 mark, giving UC three on the weekend after Annika Kinley and Kya Epps on Friday.

Also in action, though straight down south in Tallahassee, Fla., was Abby Sewell in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. She finished 33rd in the field, and third among all Americans, at 21:23 in her 5K.

Not to be outdone by the men, the women’s 4×400 team produced the No. 9 time of the season, en route to third in the Bearcats record books, with a 3:39.78 clip. Davenae Fagan, Morgan Komolafe, Kya Epps and Macaela Walker keyed that bunch.

Gwen Stare (3,000m) and Omolola Kuponiyi (shot put) also reached ninth and 10th in the school record books on Saturday.

Freshman Rafiq Washington was also 10th in the triple jump in his college debut. Sarah Madix and Mackenzie Steele’s miles were also PRs, giving UC three for the week.

Overall, the Bearcats netted seven top-10 record book entries.

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