Roki Sasaki, Dodgers
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Pro Football Network on MSNDodgers Stunned as Roki Sasaki’s Signature Weapon Becomes His Biggest ProblemWhen pitching in Japan, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki dominated thanks to a great fastball that often touched triple digits. However, his velocity has declined in recent seasons, despite being just 23 years old.
The Los Angeles Dodgers lured Roki Sasaki with promises of fixing his once-electric fastball, but that claim has already fallen apart a month into his MLB career.
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For several years now, the Los Angeles Dodgers have begun each season with a plethora of pitching. And each season, the Los Angeles Dodgers see a large
Columnist Dylan Hernández writes that Roki Sasaki can still become everything the Dodgers envisioned, but his path to greatness has become infinitely more complicated.
Sasaki entered MLB as one of the most-hyped prospects in living memory, in the zip code of Paul Skenes and Stephen Strasburg. However, it's becoming increasingly clear he did not enter the league as a finished product like his teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who accomplished much more in NPB before coming over.
Roki Sasaki has struggled to consistently throw the ball hard, averaging just 96 mph with his four-seamer this season while sometimes dropping down to the 92-93 mph range.
Despite the rookie’s struggles, Manager Dave Roberts says sending Sasaki to the minors isn’t “in any of our minds right now.”
Roberts has said all the right things about Sasaki, but he’s also admitted that he needs to improve. However, if the Dodgers expect him to be the arm he was expected to be, that'll likely come from development at the major league level.
Roki Sasaki might just be the most intriguing rookie in Major League Baseball today. At only 23 years old, the Japanese pitcher joined the Los Angeles Dodgers with sky-high expecta
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The arrival of Roki Sasaki in Major League Baseball has been marked by superior speed and a dominating splitter, while he has also fought with command
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EssentiallySports on MSN“Tough to Watch Him” – Roki Sasaki’s Slump Sparks MLB Insider Concern Amid Growing CriticismWhen the Los Angeles Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki, it felt like they had plucked a lightning rod straight out of the Tokyo Dome. The post “Tough to Watch Him” – Roki Sasaki’s Slump Sparks MLB Insider Concern Amid Growing Criticism appeared first on EssentiallySports.