Dodgers News: Gavin Lux on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Bullpen Session: ‘Really Nasty’
The Dodgers’ signing of Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto made headlines all across Major League Baseball this offseason. Yamamoto was seen as one of the best arms on the free agent market, and Los Angeles landed him on the largest total contract for a pitcher in history.
Yamamoto is expected to become the frontline starter for Los Angeles this season, and he sure has the stuff on the mound to live up to his contract. Many teams across the league heavily pursued Yamamoto, but at the end of the day, he simply wanted to be with the Dodgers.
The right-hander threw his first bullpen session as a member of the team on Friday, and he didn’t disappoint. Infielder Gavin Lux stood in at the plate as part of Yamamoto’s bullpen, and he came away very impressed by the rookie.
“Really nasty,” said Lux, who stood in at the plate for part of Yamamoto’s bullpen. “Everything is firm. The splitter plays like it’s 90-92. Fastball feels firmer than 94-95. The curveball, everything. It’s a four-pitch mix for a strike. And the little slide step he does makes everything play up. I think he’s gonna have a lot of success really fast.”
Per Gavin Lux via The Los Angeles Times
Yamamoto is seen as the best pitcher to come over from Japan, so his skill set is expected to translate well. The Dodgers firmly believe that he can make a major impact on their pitching staff going forward, and he has incredible stuff on the mound.
While there is pressure on Yamamoto to perform, it’s nothing that he can’t handle based on what we’ve seen from him previously. The Major Leagues are, of course, a little different than his time in Japan, but he performed at the highest level overseas.
He just needs to be himself and pitch to the best of his abilities. The front office is extremely high on his overall upside, and he seems to already be impressing his big-league teammates.
Photo Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
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