Why now?
For what Roki Sasaki insists on coming in the major leagues this winter?
The answer, Sasaki, 23, confirmed during his introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, had to do with the elbow problems he experienced as a first-year player with Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines.
Sasaki, who was 18 at the time, struggled to rehabilitate a pulled muscle in his right arm. His slow recovery prompted him to visit several hospitals.
Learn more: “They all wanted him here.” How Shohei Ohtani and Other Dodgers Helped Recruit Roki Sasaki
At one point, a doctor advised Sasaki to have Tommy John surgery.
Sasaki never had surgery, but the incident shaped his thinking. Years later, he wondered why he didn’t want to risk suffering a career-altering injury before pitching in the world’s most competitive league.
“Many voices say that I should have waited two more years (to come to the United States), but of course there is no guarantee about my health during those two years,” Sasaki said in Japanese.
The burden of protecting the most talented weapon ever produced in Japan has officially passed from the Marines to the Dodgers, aware of the responsibility they have inherited. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Sasaki had the talent to realize his ambition of becoming the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young Award. General manager Brandon Gomes compared the 102.5 mph fireball to Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Friedman and Gomes also know that Sasaki is as fragile as he is gifted, and their team is now tasked with developing him without breaking him.
Learn more: Dodgers officially welcome Roki Sasaki, plan to ‘get going’ with pitcher
While the Dodgers have turned several mid-level prospects into legitimate major league pitchers, an alarming number of them have fizzled out in recent years. Last season alone, Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt and River Ryan underwent reconstructive elbow surgeries.
Was Sasaki worried?
“I had a lot of minor injuries in Japan, and I don’t think it was just a result of the team management,” Sasaki said. “I think there are a lot of things I can do myself and improve on. Of course there is discomfort, but I feel like I have no choice but to make it work. »
Sasaki addressed the subject of injuries in more detail in an interview broadcast in Japan earlier today. He said on NHK’s “Close-Up Gendai” that contemplating elbow reconstruction during his first year out of high school had a profound effect on him.
“Being at a stage where I hadn’t thrown even one pitch as a pro, to be told like that…” Sasaki told the TV news. “I thought I really didn’t know when I wouldn’t be able to play baseball anymore, when I wouldn’t be able to pitch anymore, when I wouldn’t be able to perform the way I was.”
Eventually, Sasaki learned that his problems were shoulder-related, as its effect on his nerves led to elbow discomfort. Sasaki didn’t throw a single pitch that season, but he still learned something.
“With one pitch, (a baseball career can be) turned upside down,” he said. “I really felt like something like this was a possibility. You don’t know what will happen in the future. Rather than waiting two years, I think it’s better, with this timing, to challenge myself in the majors and continue to develop.
By delaying his departure from the Marines by two years, Sasaki could have signed a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He was drafted before the age of 25, which meant that MLB classified him as an international amateur player and limited him to a minor league contract. He received a $6.5 million signing bonus.
“I decided that the time that I would spend in these two years was more valuable to me than the money and stuff like that,” Sasaki said during his press conference at Dodger Stadium.
Compared to most Japanese pitchers signed with major league teams, Sasaki is relatively inexperienced. After spending his entire rookie year with the Marines rehabbing, he pitched just 394 innings over the next four seasons. Last season he was 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA, but only pitched 111 innings.
Learn more: Hernández: In joining the Dodgers, Roki Sasaki prioritizes development over being a team’s top star
The Dodgers certainly won’t dramatically increase the number of innings he pitches, but they also have no plans to delay the start of his season to ensure he’ll be available in October. Sasaki is expected to leave camp with the major league team.
“We don’t know at this point,” Friedman said when asked how Sasaki’s workload would be handled. “He will start the season, and we will continue to work with him on (his) routine between starts. There are more trips here. But we don’t have an artificial number of rounds. It’s going to be a lot more about collaborating with him, getting that feedback, seeing how he bounces back between starts.
Friedman said Sasaki asked the Dodgers if they would use a six-man rotation.
“Now with Shohei (Ohtani) and his two-way status, it makes it even easier,” Friedman said. “I think we’re in a unique position for this, to be as flexible as necessary, for this to be something that works best for Roki’s development and we’ve made that commitment to him and we’ll see that through this partnership .”
The advantage for the Dodgers is huge. If they can help Sasaki avoid what he’s long feared, they might have the best pitcher in baseball.
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
