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In the latest episode of “Baseball Bar-B-Cast”, the animators of Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz plunged into the recent difficulties of Roki Sasaki, the talented launcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, Sasaki had a difficult outing in which he managed to obtain only five withdrawals Before it was taken from the game. The hosts noted its visible frustration and its possible tears in the canoe.
“(Sasaki) was horrible. Worse than he was looking at him in Japan,” said Mintz. “The quick ball command was appalling. He lacked the side of the arm with the radiator, especially for left -handers. He just couldn’t understand it. And he was clearly exhausted throughout the exit.”
For Mintz, it comes down to one thing: “He is not ready for this for the moment.”
The discussion on the podcast revolved around the Dodgers’ strategy in the development of Sasaki, given the high expectations for him after his move from Japan. Mintz and Shusterman have debated the advantages and disadvantages of keeping it in the major leagues in relation to sending Triple-A to work on its command in a less pressure environment.
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As Mintz said, “Dodgers can afford Roki to understand this at the level of the big leagues. It is part of what they have launched. They are so talented, so deep that he can go out there and throw stinks and work on stuff and effectively use a big league game as a development experience of minor leagues. And they can still win.
“But is that what is best for its development right now? I’m not sure.”
Although the deep and talented list of Dodgers offers them the flexibility of letting Sasaki develop at the highest level, there is an argument valid to give it the opportunity to refine its skills and strengthen confidence in Oklahoma City, far from the lively lights of Los Angeles, which could, in turn, be more beneficial for its long -term development.
In addition, as Shusterman pointed out, the Dodgers have so many other options that their rotation does not depend on Sasaki at this stage.
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“They don’t have need To speed up Roki in this way, “he said.” They did not do it. Not only because they can obviously win without him, but literally, they have so many other launchers who are more than good enough to fill his place. “”
While Mintz argued that the only way Sasaki will learn to launch in the big leagues is to continue to tangulate in the big leagues, Shusterman did not agree.
“I don’t know if continuing to deploy this in the big leagues actively helps,” he said. “And I think there is a version where five starts at Oklahoma City, in front of fewer people, against the worst strikers, where he can really work on things, will put him in a position to come back and be more ready to succeed. But anyway, he does not look like a launcher who is put in position to succeed. It is the simplest way to do so.”
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After first launching in the Tokyo series, then the opening weekend at home, Sasaki could certainly use an easy outing, but his next scheduled departure is against the Phillies. Ploching in a notoriously difficult environment like Philly will undoubtedly add an additional challenge that will more test the resilience and adaptability of Sasaki.
“Could you say,” Why baby baby? “” Rejoined Shusterman. “But he’s a baby! He doesn’t win $ 300 million. He is the minimum, and he is 23 years old. … And yes, he is one of the most talented players coming from Japan, but if you don’t think he is a finished product, if you clearly know that he has things on which he does not do, why we do as if he was already your starter n ° 2?
Keeping an eye on Sasaki because his journey will continue to be one to watch – not only because of his immense talent but also to see how Dodgers manage his development in the future.
To listen to the full episode and more, listen to “on”Baseball-bar-B-CAST” on Apple,, Spotify Or YouTube.
