Roki Sasaki struggles with command again, can’t get out of second inning in Dodger Stadium debut vs. Tigers

No one said Roki Sasaki’s transition to Major League Baseball would be easy. In his second big-league start, and his first at Dodger Stadium, Sasaki walked four batters and allowed two runs, failing to get out of the second inning against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday (GameTracker). The Los Angeles Dodgers youngster needed 61 pitches to record five outs. 

Sasaki made his MLB debut earlier this month in his home country, during the two-game Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs. He struggled with his control in that game as well, walking five and throwing more balls (31) than strikes (25) in three innings. Through two starts, Sasaki has a league-leading nine walks in 4 2/3 innings.

As was the case in Tokyo, Sasaki consistently missed way off the plate to the armside with his fastball Saturday. That is in on the righties and away from lefties. He also bounced too many splitters out in front of the plate. The pitch location plot tells the story. A lot of these pitches are easy takes for the hitter:

As talented as he is, Sasaki is only 23 years old — he’s slightly older than most college pitchers who will be drafted this July — and he’s adjusting to a new culture on top of all the baseball stuff. Sasaki showed very strong control during his time with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, so the strike-throwing ability is in there. We just haven’t seen it yet through two big-league starts.

Sasaki’s fastball sat 96.1 mph Saturday, down a bit from the 100 mph gas he pumped during the Tokyo Series earlier this month. That is understandable though. Sasaki surely had plenty of adrenaline while pitching in his home country and during his first MLB start. It’s also possible he tried to take a little off Saturday just to get the ball over the plate (even if it didn’t work).

Given his top of the rotation talent, we ranked Sasaki as the seventh-best free agent available this past offseason. Here’s the write-up:

The short hook: Explosive young righty with durability questions

Sasaki is the most talented pitcher not already in an MLB organization. He’s been on the global radar since throwing a 19-strikeout perfect game as a 20-year-old in 2022. He combines elite velocity with a devastating swing-and-miss splitter/forkball. Sasaki has dealt with his share of injuries, limiting him to 33 combined starts across the last two seasons. His earning potential is completely suppressed because of his amateur free agent classification. Nevertheless, a fully actualized Sasaki has a chance to be an immediate impact starter in the majors.

Sasaki joined the Dodgers on a minor-league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus in January. MLB’s international signing rules limited him to a minor-league deal rather than a massive contract on par with Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s because he is under 25. The San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were the two other finalists to sign him.  

The Dodgers have won their first four games this season, which is the best start by a defending World Series champion since the 1985 Tigers started 6-0. Los Angeles has so much talent on the roster that they can let Sasaki work through any growing pains and not sweat the wins and losses too much. Clearly though, the young man has a lot to improve, especially with his command.