Roki Sasaki is here as a Dodger! The Dodgers have introduced Sasaki and his opening statement is enough to make the fans go frenzy again. With fans wondering all these days about what made Sasaki choose the Dodgers over other teams, he finally reveals the reason. According to him, all credit goes to the higher opportunities at the Dodgers. Is it so?

The Dodgers are known for their farm system and effective rookie management but if it is the best in the business, that’s something debatable. Apart from the Dodgers, the Blue Jays and the Padres were also in contention for Sasaki and they even offered higher than what the Dodgers were offering. So, what opportunities do the others fail to provide? Let’s delve in.

The Dodgers farm system is a benchmark

In the recent few years, the performance graph for the Dodgers has skyrocketed, credit to their ‘farm’ and rookie development system. The minor league players being developed at the Dodgers are their assets. For the unversed, Roki Sasaki has been signed for the minor league by the Dodgers considering he is an amateur. The farm system of the Dodgers is what the Sasaki will go through now. So what is special about their system that even international players like Sasaki are fond of?

Well, for starters, the Dodgers are the first ones to embrace analytics in the MLB circuit. Yes, the use of data, technology, and cutting-edge training modules was started by the Dodgers first for their talent development program. “purely based on where I can grow as a player the most”, this opening statement from Sasaki sums up the opportunity the Dodgers are offering to the amateurs. Currently, the Dodgers are drafting the biggest names, going for the prized talents, and grooming them to excel on the biggest stage and Roki Sasaki is here to leverage that. 

There is more for Sasaki in terms of growth chances with the Dodgers. While he has joined as an amateur, he will jump to the major league very soon considering his experience. Sasaki is going to join the likes of Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Stone as pitchers and what more can a new member expect! The quality of pitchers at the Dodgers is well known and it is very justified that Sasaki as a pitcher got the best team. However, the Dodgers are infamous for their injury-prone pitchers also! Nevertheless, are the Dodgers still the best for new talents to grow?

It’s more than just growth for Roki Sasaki 

Yes, even with choosing probably the best in the business, there’s more for Roki Sasaki in going with the Dodgers over others. Why? So, apart from the Dodgers, the Blue Jays and Padres were behind Sasaki, and both these teams have a good rookie development program and all these teams come up with developed talents each year. Remember Merill and Rosario from the Padres and Guerrero from the Blue Jays? They are all among these homegrown talents.

The addition of financial muscle to the Dodgers is another key factor that makes them unique from the rest. Moreover, Ohtani and Yamamoto played a huge role in landing their countrymate on the team and the mentorship that Sasaki is going to get at the Dodgers is what made the case here. Despite having higher offers, it seems Sasaki opted for the Dodgers to get the association of the best and to grill himself among the competitive pitching squad. 

We are yet to find out how much Roki Sasaki will shine with the Dodgers. From the Dodgers’ perspective, the addition of Sasaki created a tempting pitching force to utilize. The challenge will be for the rivals to counter this pitching squad this year.

What is your thought about Sasaki’s opening statement? Do let us know in the comment below.