{"id":31126,"date":"2025-03-07T02:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T02:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31126"},"modified":"2025-03-07T02:41:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T02:41:02","slug":"breaking-mlb-hitters-should-already-fear-roki-sasaki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31126","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: MLB Hitters Should Already Fear Roki Sasaki"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In just one spring training outing, the new Dodgers pitcher showcased an elite arsenal of pitches.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Sasaki<\/picture><\/figure>\n
Sasaki possesses an excellent four-seamer, split-finger combo. \/ Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Four months after I gave a\u00a0scouting report<\/u>\u00a0culled with the help of executives and scouts on what to expect from Roki Sasaki\u2014one of them described his ceiling as \u201cbest pitcher in the world\u201d\u2014how did the Los Angeles Dodgers righthander measure up to the advance billing in\u00a0his first outing<\/u>?<\/p>\n

The short answer:\u00a0Sasaki is as good as advertised<\/u>. A starting pitcher who throws 98 mph with what looks like the best splitter on the planet will be a force.<\/p>\n

The caveat: he is going to need some time to reach that ceiling.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s remember, his outing Tuesday was just a 46-pitch sample and his first time on a game mound in MLB (with a different baseball than is used in Japan). We\u2019re talking first impressions here, folks, not conclusions. Pitching in a Statcast-equipped ballpark, here is what he showed:<\/p>\n

Four-seam fastball<\/strong>
\nGrade: A-<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sasaki averaged 98 mph on 25 four-seamers. That is especially good news for the Dodgers after his average velocity last season dipped to 96.9, down from 98.9 the previous season. One of the major reasons\u00a0he chose the Dodgers as an international free agent<\/u>\u00a0was because he wanted to tap into the Dodgers\u2019 renowned pitching expertise and resources to improve. There appears to be no major change to his delivery, just minor tweaks, such as a slightly deeper bend into his back leg in the gathering phase.<\/p>\n

How impressive is 98 mph on a four-seamer? Only 10 starters averaged 98 mph in a game last season with a minimum of 25 four-seamers. Sasaki did it his first time out. That\u2019s an outlier.<\/p>\n

So why the minus in the A-minus grade? He appears much more comfortable throwing his fastball to the glove side. He threw only three fastballs to his arm side, resulting in a double, a hit by pitch and a pitch outside the zone that was called a strike. It\u2019s not unusual. Most pitchers naturally get the ball better to one side of the plate than the other. Not a big deal. If it becomes too much of a pattern, righthanded hitters can set their eyes out over the plate. Down the road, I can see him adding a two-seamer.<\/p>\n

The oddest part of his fastball is his spin rate. It\u2019s low: 2,022 rpm, well below the major league average of 2,298 and even farther from the average for elite throwers\u20142,350 for fastballs 96 mph and faster.<\/p>\n

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