Sunday, March 30, 2025
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025
During the offseason, Dodger fans heard about how much the Dodgers needed Roki Sasaki, a 23-year-old right-handed Japanese superstar. So far, Sasaki has been battling his nerves in each of his major league starts.
Pitching on the biggest stage has been a lifetime dream for Sasaki. He was a victim of the massive earthquake in 2011 and lost a few family members. Thus, Sasaki is a strong, emotional young man who got married this past offseason.
During spring training, Sasaki pitched well. Everyone could see his fabulous splitter. His splitter is unique with its movement. Usually, a splitter moves only downward, but Sasaki’s splitter can move sideways. Sometimes, he doesn’t know where his splitter is going, so the batter doesn’t know where the splitter is going.
While pitching in Japan, Sasaki had a 100+ miles-per-hour fastball. Last year, he experienced a velocity dip, which was unexplained, and he hasn’t regained his superior velocity yet. The Dodgers have ideas on how to help Sasaki get back his velocity. His lack of velocity isn’t causing his troubles in the major leagues. If he doesn’t get his tremendous velocity back, he can be an excellent major league starter.
The Dodgers think Sasaki needs to develop a major league-quality third pitch. During spring training, he threw a good slider, even though it was new. However, he hasn’t thrown the slider during his major league starts. Major league players still have difficulty hitting him.
His major league debut was in Tokyo. Before his debut, he was visibly nervous. While on the mound, he never looked comfortable. He should have been held back to debut in the United States. Against the Chicago Cubs, he walked five because of nervousness.
His second major league start came at Dodger Stadium. Sasaki was nervous since he wanted to perform well in front of his hometown fans. Against the Detroit Tigers, Sasaki lasted only 1.2 innings since he couldn’t locate the strike zone when he walked 4 batters. He looked nervous all the time during his second major league start.
Sasaki is adjusting to a new country. He has different foods from what he is accustomed to. He doesn’t speak English, so he relies on an interpreter to communicate with his new coaches. The size of baseball is different in the United States from Japan.
I would start Sasaki in Triple-A. He needs a little less attention while he adjusts to the United States. I am confident he will be a great major league starter, probably earning multiple Cy Young awards, but he needs time to acclimate to the United States and its baseball. Unlike most Japanese players who come over, he is a kid. Most Japanese players who debut in the major leagues are at least 25 years old. Sasaki just needs time to adjust and mature on a quieter stage.
