The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes has come to an finish.
Sasaki introduced on Instagram that he will probably be becoming a member of the Dodgers, turning into the most recent Japanese star to register Los Angeles. As Sasaki is simply 23 years previous, he’ll obtain a minor league take care of an invite to spring coaching.
Sasaki’s resolution to hitch the Dodgers is the end result of a courtship that started in 2019. He had attracted the consideration of the Dodgers, and different main league groups, when he threw over 100 mph in highschool, breaking Shohei Ohtani’s file. Sasaki had flirted with the thought of bypassing Nippon Skilled Baseball altogether earlier than in the end declaring for the NPB Draft.
Sasaki shortly confirmed why he was so coveted, rising as probably the greatest pitching prospects to ever come out of Japan. His triple-digit fastball, plus slider and a splitter which may be probably the greatest on this planet, mixed together with his pinpoint management, made Sasaki a dominant drive for the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Sasaki had a historic profession regardless of spending simply 4 seasons with the Marines. A two-time All-Star, Sasaki set the NPB file by putting out 19 batters, together with a world file 13 consecutive batters, in his good recreation on April 10, 2022. He adopted that outing with eight extra good innings, the streak ending when he was lifted for a pinch hitter in a 0-0 recreation. He received a gold medal as a part of the 2023 Samurai Japan World Baseball Basic squad. He posted a 29-15 file with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.894 WHiP in his 394.2 innings, putting out 505 batters with 88 walks.
Sasaki joins a loaded Dodgers crew that has some query marks within the rotation. He’ll be a part of fellow countrymen Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two-time Cy Younger winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to kind the very best rotation within the recreation. Nevertheless, every pitcher has battled accidents all through their profession. Sasaki himself has sturdiness considerations as he threw greater than 100 innings twice in his time in Japan.
Sasaki is the capstone of what has been one other spectacular offseason for the Dodgers. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez returned on a three-year, $66 million deal. Outfielder Michael Conforto signed a one-year, $17 million deal to take over in proper. KBO second baseman Hyeseong Kim supplies doubtlessly Gold Glove protection and an intriguing choice on the backside of the lineup at second base. Whereas the Dodgers are probably so as to add extra items as they appear to defend their World Sequence title, Sasaki is their greatest signing within the 2024-25 offseason.
