Wednesday’s game will be historic for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as Japanese-born starting pitcher Roki Sasaki makes his MLB debut in his home country.
The Sasaki sweepstakes this offseason were just a glimpse into the mayhem the 23-year-old is expected to produce in his rookie season.
Several MLB teams fought for the right-hander, but the Dodgers ultimately came out on top.
FanGraphs’ 2025 Steamer projections predicts Sasaki to post a 3.30 ERA and 3.21 FIP across 24 starts this season.
If Sasaki is able to log stats like that on the mound, he will be a frontrunner for the National League Rookie of the Year award.
But, Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain took his prediction one step further, predicting Sasaki to finish in the top five of Cy Young voting in the NL.
“He’s not only going to win Rookie of the Year,” McKain said on Dodgers Dougout Live, “but I predict he’ll finish top five in Cy Young voting.”
“He’s not only going to win Rookie of the Year but I predict he’ll finish Top 5 in Cy Young votes.”
– @DMAC_LA on Roki Sasakihttps://t.co/cT4CMW7Sue
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) March 12, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes accomplished this feat last season. The 2024 NL All-Star was named the NL Rookie of the Year and finished third in Cy Young voting.
Atlanta Braves left-handed starting pitcher Chris Sale ultimately won his first Cy Young award, while Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler finished in second place.
Sasaki’s statistical projections and successful career in Nippon Professional Baseball suggest he has the potential to follow in Skenes’ footsteps.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts officially named Sasaki the starter for Game 2 of the Tokyo Series on Tuesday. Meanwhile, right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 1.
Sasaki will become the third-youngest Japanese-born player to make an MLB debut after a career in the NPB, per MLB insider Sarah Langs on X.
Only Boston Red Sox pitcher Toma Ohka and San Francisco Giants pitcher Masanori Murakami were younger than Sasaki during their debuts. Ohka was just 13 days younger than Sasaki, while Murakami was only 20 years old.
At 23 years & 136 days old next Wednesday, Roki Sasaki will be the 3rd-youngest Japanese-born player to debut in MLB after playing in NPB, older than only:
9/1/64 Masanori Murakami: 20y, 118d (3 NPB gms in ‘63)
7/19/99 Tomo Ohka: 23y, 123d https://t.co/TzSr3LJEuT
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) March 12, 2025
Sasaki will serve as an integral part of the Dodgers rotation in 2025. He will join forces with Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow in the rotation to begin the Dodgers’ run for back-to-back World Series titles.
