Roki Sasaki flashes big fastball, wicked splitter and a few nerves in first bullpen with the Dodgers

By Canadian Press on February 12, 2025.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Roki Sasaki was warming up for his bullpen on a cool, breezy Wednesday morning at Camelback Ranch, when the right-hander let loose a fastball that sailed past catcher Austin Barnes and clanged against the chain-link fence.

Throwing his first bullpen with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Japanese phenom was a little nervous.

“I didn’t necessarily feel great today, but just being able to get through the first bullpen without any injuries was a good thing,” Sasaki said through an interpreter.

Several dozen media and fans watched as the 23-year-old right-hander threw 35 pitches, flashing an explosive fastball, a diving splitter and experiencing a little bit of wildness.

Sasaki agreed last month to a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus as an international amateur free agent under Major League Baseball’s rules, leaving the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines under the posting system. Had he waited two more years, he likely could have commanded a nine-figure contract as a free agent not subject to signing bonus pools.

Sasaki is one of three Japanese players on the roster, along with National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Sasaki admitted to some nerves for his throwing session, which was watched by manager Dave Roberts, pitching coach Mark Prior and several other members of the organization. It was also a little colder than he was expecting, with temperatures in the high 50s.

“His fastball’s a big fastball — had a lot of carry and a lot of ride to it,” Barnes said. “The spilt finger is different. I haven’t really seen a pitch like it before and it’s different than Yamamoto. It’s good and it’s hard to catch sometimes — moving all over the place.”

Roberts said Wednesday that Sasaki could pitch in the team’s second game of the regular season, against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 19. But the manager added that the plan could change as the team evaluates how he throws during spring training.

The Dodgers figure to be careful with Sasaki during spring training and throughout the season. He struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, dealing with shoulder inflammation last year and an oblique injury in 2023.

Los Angeles plans to go with a six-man pitching rotation this season.

“When he pitches, I think he’s going to be very good,” Roberts said. “I just don’t know — I don’t think anyone knows — the body of work that’s going to come this year. He’s very talented, but I’m just as curious as everyone else. In pure talent, there’s not many guys as talented as he is.”

Sasaki said Ohtani and Yamamoto have been invaluable in helping him understand what to expect in his transition to a new organization and to MLB. The three have adjacent lockers and were chatting after Tuesday’s workout.

“I feel confident that as long as he’s healthy, he’ll be able to perform well,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “The important thing for him is to be acclimating to the environment that he’s in.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

David Brandt, The Associated Press