Why Are the Dodgers the Best Landing Spot for Roki Sasaki?
As the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes continue, the Los Angeles Dodgers stand out as by far the best option for the 23-year-old pitcher.
The young right-hander has undeniable talent, and he’s just entering his prime as he heads over to Major League Baseball. As he plans to sign with one lucky MLB franchise before the upcoming season, a lot of thought — and an ‘unspecified homework assignment’ — has been given by his camp to contenders.
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MLB Network Radio’s Xavier Scruggs recently spoke on why Sasaki should see Los Angeles as the clear No. 1 option, saying, “the ability for him to continue to develop at a major league level” is valuable enough to choose the Dodgers.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior has a successful history of developing pitchers since 2018. The likes of Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips and other bullpen staples can all thank Prior for their recent successes and career turnarounds.
Scruggs continued: “[Sasaki’s] not coming over looking like an automatic No. 1, he has the ability to get to that because of the stuff that he has, but the development will be important and the Dodgers development system and their pitching lab and all that stuff is top-tier. I think he can benefit from that in a major way.”
Sasaki is by no means a “project” or a pitcher who appears to need that much development. In his past four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki posted a 2.10 ERA with an incredible 505 strikeouts in 394.2 innings pitched.
Another reason to join Los Angeles, as Scruggs pointed out, is the recent success of the franchise. “He’s seen the success of the Dodgers and what they’ve been able to do,” Scuggs says, and just months after raising their eighth World Series trophy in franchise history, Sasaki can be easily enticed to join the defending champs.
Potentially joining a rotation of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — two teammates of Sasaki’s on the Japan national team during the World Baseball Classic — and the new addition of Cy Young award winner Blake Snell would provide the perfect mix of talent and veteran leadership for the 23-year-old.
Former teammates, a proven top-tier pitching development staff, and being the defending champions seems to be a perfect landing spot for a rising superstar, but only time will tell as the baseball world waits for Sasaki’s decision.
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Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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“Sasaki is by no means a “project” or a pitcher who appears to need that much development.”
True, but the Dodgers are the best option to not force him to be a #1 right out of the gate. They can bring him along slowly without the pressure of being forced to pitch every four days or even every 6 days. He could even be given an extended spring training at the Arizona Complex. And if that is what Sasaki is looking for, to be developed into a long term star, then the Dodgers are the team to give it to him without worry about Spring weather issues, other environmental issues or being forced to be “the Man” right from the start. That is what every other team in the league is planning to do and that may not be in his best interest.