On Friday, Roki Sasaki confirmed the news of joining the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over the past couple of months, Saski has not just been compared with his favourite Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani but also with the Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes. An MLB analyst recently compared Sasaki with Skenes while highlighting his ability as a skilled pitcher. Here’s what the MLB analyst said about the Dodgers rookie.
MLB analyst Tom Verducci compared Roki Sasaki with Paul Skenes
Roki Sasaki is the new draft of the Los Angeles Dodgers and fans have already started the race of comparison. MLB analyst Tom Verducci recently shared his take on Sasaki’s talent and compared his potential with that of Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes. Talking about the same, Verducci said:
“If we put Roki [Sasaki] in a draft, he’d be a one-one. He’s kind of like a Paul Skenes, he’s not a finished product coming out, but pure stuff-wise, it’s off the charts. If you look at the top pitching staffs of all time, I had to look this up, a couple of Dodgers teams recently [have been there]. I think the Dodgers can push this number (.208 opponent batting average).”
Moving forward in his statement, Tom Verducci revealed how Roki Sasaki reminds him of Philadelphia Phillies star Zack Wheeler. Sharing details into this comparison, Verducci said:
“Sasaki’s four-seamer was down a bit last year, caused a little bit of concern. The split is just a wipeout pitch, he’s got tremendous movement down on that. The slider is a pitch he threw a little bit more last year, not a great pitch right now. I think you’ll see the Dodgers tighten that up. The mechanics are just beautiful, the guy he reminds me of is Zack Wheeler.”
Tom Verducci further revealed how he has a good feeling that Roki Sasaki would hit the ground running with the Dodgers, considering “he’s such a good athlete.” Sharing his praises for Sasaki, Verducci expressed:
“I think because he’s such a good athlete, he’s going to hit the ground running. Now, his career high’s only 129 innings, so he’s not going to be a 150, 180-inning guy for the Dodgers this year, they’ll have that six-man rotation. I do expect, he (Sasaki) is going to dominate.”
Roki Sasaki debuted in the NPB in 2021 and, over the years, has created an impressive resume for himself, which includes two NPB All-Star awards. Nevertheless, Sasaki’s Japanese team also won the gold during the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
Having already made a huge name for himself in the NPB, Roki Sasaki’s time with the Los Angeles Dodgers would be filled with opportunities and learning experiences. Sharing locker rooms with superstars like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, Sasaki would get to learn greater things that would help him achieve success in his MLB career.
