Remember Roki Sasaki’s introductory press conference with the Dodgers in January? The Japanese phenom set the bar sky-high when he declared his goal—to become the first Japanese pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Yes, as ridiculous as it sounds, despite having so many Japanese pitchers playing in the MLB, a Cy Young Award has no Japanese name. Can the Reiwa Monster turn the tide? The Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts hope so. What then makes the 23-year-old ace special among other amateurs? What does it mean for the Dodgers’ pitching rotation?
Well, Sasaki can only sign a minor league contract with a hard-capped signing bonus because he is an international amateur. While this is his first year with the MLB, he made his debut in NPB in 2021. Over the last four years, he has managed to post a 2.10 ERA in 394 2/3 innings thanks to his devastating splitter and fastball, which can reach triple digits in velocity. Additionally, he minimized walks to a 5.7% rate and struck out 32.7% of the batters he faced. That’s the figure that made Roberts bet on Sasaki winning the Cy Young Award.
“He definitely has the ability to win the Cy Young Award. His fastball is really great, and he has good control. His split is his best pitch.” Roberts sounds confident enough with Sasaki, as reported by NikkanSports. However, apart from this, it is Sasaki’s pitching schedule that is getting highlighted. Why? Because a pitcher pitches every 5 days in the MLB, while it is 1 in every week in Japan. Sasaki is going to follow his Japanese schedule. With the 6-man pitching rotation of the Dodgers, this is very much possible for Sasaki. So, what’s special about the pitching rotation of the Dodgers?
Sasaki will strengthen the Dodgers’ formidable starting lineup
According to MLB insider Sarah Langs, Roki Sasaki is projected to have 150+ strikeouts this year. Guess the other two who got the same projection? Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. While Yamamoto and Ohtani are both included in the starting lineup, Sasaki is not. A talent like Roki Sasaki is not included in the opening lineup. Enough to prove the strength of the Dodgers’ pitching division. Well, names like Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw are the others included in the rotation.
Snell is coming up with a 5-3 record and 145 SOs from the last year. Tyler Glasnow scored a 9-6 record and 168 Sos in 2024, and Kershaw with 24 Sos. Together they are coming with a 5x Cy Young Award. A good clubhouse for Sasaki to get added. Getting the vibe of the multiple Cy Young winners can only push Sasaki further to his coveted feat. However, with all these names stuffed in the opening lineup, Sasaki can have the flexibility to pitch once a week.
The Dodgers’ pitching rotation will be a force to reckon with this season. They are enough immune to injuries considering talents like Sasaki are kept behind.
Do you think Sasaki is set to win the Cy Young Award? Share your views with us below.
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