Dave Roberts Reveals Early Roki Sasaki Impressions in Dodgers Camp
From the first bullpen session to the second, Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Roki Sasaki improved tremendously. It wasn’t that his first appearance in a Dodgers uniform was bad, he was just nervous and erratic at times.
However, Monday gave manager Dave Roberts a glimpse into how great he can be.
“(It) was more clean and consistent, and there probably was some nerves in that first one,” Roberts said. “But I think each outing, each time he takes the mound, he’s going to get more and more comfortable. Certainly the next check point is when he faces some hitters, and then we get him into a Cactus League game. But the talent is still there, obviously.”
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Hunter Feduccia, who debuted with the Dodgers in 2024 and played in five games, caught Sasaki on Monday. He was impressed with the pitcher and pointed out the challenges of transitioning from Nippon Professional Baseball, particularly adapting to the slightly larger baseball.
“He was throwing his fastball, splitter and curveball. I thought all three of them looked good,” Feduccia said. “The fastball command was there. I’m sure he’s kind of getting used to the balls.
“He kind of has a unique grip with the splitter. So I’m sure he’s kind of getting used to that, trying to get certain feels and hone it all in from the first bullpen. It looked it looked good in my eyes.”
Veteran catcher Austin Barnes caught Sasaki’s first bullpen session.
“Oh my gosh,” Barnes said. “The fastball is a big fastball, it has a lot of carry and ride to it. The ball jumps at you.
“And the split-finger is different. I’ve never seen a pitch like that before. It’s hard to catch sometimes, it tumbles a lot, it moves all over the place. It goes in different directions.
“A crazy talent. It’s exciting to see what he’s going to do.”
Roberts said Tuesday he can’t wait for Sasaki to get more comfortable and start asking questions.
“I do believe that once he starts to ask questions to his teammates, his coaches, myself, there will be another level of performance,” Roberts said.
After four seasons in the NPB, Sasaki signed with the Dodgers on Jan. 22 and has quickly become one of the most intriguing players in camp.
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Sasaki posted a 10-5 record with a 2.35 ERA over 18 games last season for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Pacific League, recording 129 strikeouts across 111 innings.
Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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