The Los Angeles Dodgers always manage to cut some slack to Roki Sasaki, cause why not! It’s his first season in the majors. But then again, it’s not easy for Dave Roberts to brush off the concerns, which have been more like a pattern lately.
You see, it’s his fastball that once consistently ranged between 98 and 101 mph when he was back in Japan. But here we are now, watching him throw at just 94.9 mph. How long will the Dodgers manage to let it slide?
Well, manager Dave Roberts has already sent a subtle message to Sasaki after his latest outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers had the winning odds in their favor and managed to finish off with a 14-11 score. But Sasaki only threw 61 pitches against the D-Backs. It was his eighth start of the season.
In the first inning, he allowed two home runs that gave the Diamondbacks a 3-1 lead. In fact, he was pulled in the fifth inning by Roberts after a lead-off walk. Postgame, Roberts discussed Sasaki’s ongoing adjustments in the major league, and YOU would DEFINITELY want to know this.
It was pointed out in the interview that Sasaki has been throwing in the 95 range in most of his starts. Roberts was asked how concerning it is, and his stance was pretty clear. “I’m more concerned about the command. If you don’t have velocity when you’re talking 98, 99, you know, then command becomes more of a priority, which I think it should be regardless.”
The thing is, Sasaki’s fastball hasn’t been commanded very well. His inconsistency in velocity has been the hot topic in the league.
Roberts further added, “You know, when you’re throwing in the mid-90s, 94, then you’ve got to really command the baseball. So that’s something we’re going to work on as a group.” Well, even Sasaki understands that, and since it’s his first season in MLB, there will be some grace as he gets his footing.
The Dodgers will continue to ease up on him, but they are not refraining from taking notes.
Roki Sasaki opens up about the root cause behind his underwhelming fastball
Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers are on the same page with Sasaki’s fastball. He entered the major league and was instantly hyped. However, lately, it’s not the same. Across his first starts, his ERA sits at 3.86. With all the mounting talk over his fastball, Sasaki had to address it himself.
Through his interpreter, he said, “Just really still in this process of finding out what the root cause is, working with my coaches, talking to people about this.” Apparently, Sasaki is not sure yet about the sole reason why his fastball lacks command lately.
Later, Mark Prior, the Dodgers’ hitting coach, gave the much-needed insights. He believes that Sasaki is attempting to dial things back. Everybody knows him for throwing 100, but his command is getting affected by it. “He’s not throwing 100 with us. That’s something that I think he was trying to train and get to it, which we tried to help as much as we could.”
Another major issue is the shape of his fastball. The thing is, it’s been flat lately, and it’s been easy for hitters when they bat against his pitches. You can blend this issue with his inability to locate the precise location. So, the root cause might be pretty clear. But for now, the Dodgers and Roberts are more concerned about the command than the velocity.
Hopefully, this version of Sasaki is temporary; the 23-year-old is still new here, and he will probably bounce back stronger sooner than we expect.
The post Concerned Dave Roberts Sends Strong Message to Roki Sasaki Amid Rising Heat Over Underwhelming Fastball appeared first on EssentiallySports.
