Roki Sasaki update will have Dodgers fans feeling excited for Wednesday
Los Angeles Dodgers fans will have a chance to see rookie phenom Roki Sasaki face Major League hitters on Wednesday.
That’s when the 23-year-old phenom from Japan will face hitters in live batting practice for the first time, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
Sasaki has already thrown two bullpen sessions for the Dodgers, and manager Dave Roberts said he got much better from the first to the second.
“[It] was more clean and consistent, and there probably was some nerves in that first one,” Roberts said of his second bullpen, per Dodgers Nation. “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.”
The Dodgers signed Sasaki in the offseason after a high-profile pursuit that at one point or another included a slew of teams. He joins a Los Angeles roster that also includes new additions like Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Hyeseong Kim — to go with an already stacked roster that just won the 2024 World Series. It makes the Dodgers easy picks to repeat.
Dodgers players have been in awe of Roki Sasaki
Sasaki’s two bullpen sessions have been appointment viewing — not necessarily for Dodgers fans, but for Los Angeles players and coaches.
Hunter Feduccia, who caught the bullpen, gave a glowing review, according to Dodgers Nation.
“He was throwing his fastball, splitter and curveball. I thought all three of them looked good,” he 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.”
Austin Barnes had a similar take.
“The fastball is a big fastball, it has a lot of carry and ride to it. The ball jumps at you,” he said. “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.”
We’ll have to wait and see what the players Sasaki faces on Wednesday have to say after stepping into the box against him.
MLB Stock Watch: Win projections, 2025 expectations
Baseball is back. Or, to put it another way, the players are back on the fields grouped by their respective teams, frolicking on green grass in temperate climates — all the earmarks of the annual spring training rite. But in a sense, baseball never left.
The 2024-25 hot stove season — now mostly, but not completely, over — was a solid one, with few droughts between important moves and some big-ticket maneuvers along the way. It’s not quite as engaging as watching actual games, but it’s a pretty good substitute.
All winter, move by move, I’ve been updating team depth charts, making educated playing-time forecasts and watching it all roll up into a way-too-early projection of the 2025 season. I even maintain my magnetic standings board during the winter, shuffling teams around as the pecking order evolves.
The last time we checked in with a Stock Watch was on the eve of the winter meetings. At the time, there had been a few splashy moves, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers signing Blake Snell, but most of the offseason jockeying lay ahead.
