The Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki entered the fray earlier, during the draft, with all the hype and limelight. Many wondered at that time why a rookie was so hyped up and why the teams were all behind him. Well, his current spring games are answering all the skepticism. While it was expected what Sasaki could do in the field, his spring season debut with those fireballs made a frightening statement. A statement about what’s coming in the regular season. So, is Roki Sasaki too good to be a rookie?

Yes, Sasaki is a rookie, but he comes with an experience second to none. For those unaware, Sasaki tied Shohei Ohtani’s record for the fastest pitch by a Japanese player in NPB history in 2023 when he threw four pitches at a speed of 102 mph. Sasaki’s fastball, which was measured at 101 miles per hour, set a new high school baseball record in Japan. However, it was Sasaki’s 2023 WBC performance that attracted notice from around the world. He finished the tournament with a 3.52 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and a 1-0 record. That’s a ridiculous figure for a rookie. Now, he is continuing his form here in the spring games.

On Tuesday, Sasaki had his spring game debut against the Reds. While touching 99 mph on his fastballs and displaying a wicked splitter and a decent slider that is probably going to get better, Sasaki struck out five batters in his three innings pitched. He received eight swings and misses with a fastball that averaged 98 mph. Well, the fans are baffled not only with his fastballs but also the splitter that will undoubtedly cause problems for opposition hitters this season. Thus, Sasaki’s one spring game was enough to make the fans acknowledge his ability.

The fans are all pumped up for Sasaki

Since the official MLB account shared the debut clippings of Roki Sasaki over their Instagram handle, fans have flooded the comment box, amused. “I’ve seen enough. Build him a statue,” a fan commented, referring to the over-the-top performance shown by Sasaki. Well, the pitch velocity of Sasaki on Tuesday averaged at 98 mph, enough to bow before him. However, the sample data to judge the Japanese phenomena is still small, with just one spring game. The “temple” can be built only after evaluating his regular season performance. 

A user wrote, “2025 LA DODGERS CHAMPIONS.”  Yes, the Dodgers with Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Sasaki are scary enough to hunt the rival batters. The team with the best pitching rotation in 2025 is visibly the favorite to retain the World Series ring. An enthusiast shared his excitement, commenting, “Our 2025 Cy Young, Roki Sasaki.” Is it too early to project Sasaki as the Cy Young winner? He has yet to play against some of the toughest hitters in the MLB.

It was the sinker thrown by Sasaki that caught all the attention on Tuesday. “Yoo, that sinker was crazy,” a fan commented. He threw a total of 3 sinkers, struck out with the third one, which came at 98mph and moved inside, was a sore to eyes. What’s more promising is that Roki Sasaki is still 23 and has yet to reach his prime. A user shared the same, “he’s nasty & only 23.” Scary enough for the rival teams to think about what Sasaki would do in the coming time.

Roki Sasaki has shown what he can do. Time is ticking for the rivals to decide how to deal with the Dodgers’ pitching rotation.

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