It’s another day and another controversy in MLB’s verse. This is about Roki Sasaki! When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed the 23-year-old pitching prodigy, the hype was real. With a fastball that goes 103 mph and a reputation as big, Sasaki was looked at as MLB’s next big thing. And at one point in the off-season, 14 teams were on the outs to get him. The Dodgers, already stacked with superstars, added another one.

And since then, the hype has already grown. So much so that Roki Sasaki is on the ESPN Top 100 MLB Player rankings. But that’s not even the most surprising part. He is sitting at No. 60, ahead of many baseball stars like J.T. Realmuto, Pete Alonso, and Matt Chapman. And this didn’t sit well with players or insiders either.

Buster himself revealed that several players questioned his ranking. One of the players, whose name he didn’t reveal, said, “You have [Roki] Sasaki over J.T. Realmuto? In what world does that make sense?” Olney, surprisingly, didn’t disagree. Over on his podcast, he admitted that he thinks it’s a fair criticism.

Now MLB insider Jorge Castillo was on the podcast with him, and he didn’t mince words either. Castillo was clear on where he stands. “I wouldn’t have Roki Sasaki even in the Top 100. He’s never pitched in the major leagues. Never had a full season in Japan. It’s a lot of projecting.” He even questioned how Sasaki could even be ahead of MLB’s already established talents. And to be fair, Roki Sasaki didn’t make his performance talk.

In the MLB Tokyo Series, which was the hype master altogether, Roki Sasaki was lukewarm. It was his much-awaited debut, and on his home soil, everyone expected more. But he went one run, one hit, five walks, and 56 pitches over three innings. Sasaki’s first start in America too didn’t go any better. The Dodgers faced the Detroit Tigers, and there Sasaki gave up two runs on three hits and four more walks and exited before finishing two innings.

For sure he has talent, and sure, the ranking must be on potential. But Sasaki needs to prove that potential isn’t the only thing going to get him respect. For now, though, the spotlight is back on him, and it’s not the great kind.

Eric Hosmer accuses Roki Sasaki 

Roki Sasaki’s start has been shaky at most. But his second start was a rough one. He couldn’t finish the second inning, and his velocity dipped. And then Dave Roberts came out to pull him, so Sasaki walked off with the ball still in his hand. Of course, social media reacted to this quite fast. While some stood by the Japanese phenom, others started pointing fingers. Like Eric Hosmer.

Eric Hosmer, the Padres former infielder who spent years facing the Dodgers. He saw the clip of Sasaki walking off the mound and had a wild revelation. Hosmer on X said, “Hand is obviously sticky! Seems like Roki is having a tough time blending his tang to get the right grip on these MLB (baseballs). Somebody give him a hug!” And that’s a strong accusation without any proof.

The video is devoid of any suspicions—so no sticky hands and no foreign substances. Just a young player who seemed rattled. But even if he was cheating, it wasn’t working. Sasaki couldn’t’ find the zone, let alone cheat and dominate. This is not cheating; the right word seems to be adapting. Sasaki is a young man; he is in a new country and doesn’t know the language. There is immense pressure too, and it takes  time to adjust even for the best.

The Los Angeles Dodgers for sure know that, and they are going to let things ease. The best part is they have plenty of pitchers to shoulder the responsibility. One thing is for sure—it’s too quick to sign Sasaki off right now.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.