![\"Cincinnati](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4064,h_2286\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/229\/01jnjc3ctds4x2bxs752.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe potential ace just demonstrated what Dodgers dominance will look like this year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Much has been made about the arrival of 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki.<\/p>\n
The young star boasts an arsenal that features an explosive fastball that he consistently hits 100 miles per hour with offset by a wipeout splitter that acts like a hammer curveball.<\/p>\n
In the most recent MLB pipeline prospect rankings, Sasaki\u2019s name is first on the list.<\/p>\n
Going into spring training, Sasaki commanded the interest of all MLB fans; everyone wanted to see him suited up in his Los Angeles Dodgers jersey and hurling the ball against major-league hitters.<\/p>\n
The first Sasaki news we gotwasn\u2019t very encouraging for LA. In his first appearance during a simulated game against the White Sox, Sasaki gave up a home run to star prospect Kyle Teel, his first batter this spring.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s only spring training. We can\u2019t expect every pitcher to be operating at 100 percent efficiency before the season or even at the start of the season.<\/p>\n
So, any speed bump this early doesn\u2019t quite foreshadow a definite ill-fated conclusion.<\/p>\n
Late Tuesday, we got another glimpse of Sasaki. This time, things were much different.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday night, Sasaki finally made his long-anticipated spring training debut against the Cincinnati Reds.<\/p>\n
It started a bit rocky when he stepped onto the mound in the fifth inning, giving up a hit, hitting a batter and nearly surrendering a home run on what was a long foul ball.<\/p>\n
However, Sasaki would quickly establish control, striking out the last two batters of the inning.<\/p>\n
He finished his outing having pitched three innings, giving up two hits, one walk, one hit by pitch, and accruing five strikeouts.<\/p>\n
Sasaki\u2019s heater sat in the high 90\u2019s topping out at 99.3 mph.<\/p>\n
His mid-80\u2019s spitter was extremely effective at keeping Reds\u2019 hitters off balance and garnering whiffs.<\/p>\n
His low-80\u2019s slider, on the other hand, wasn\u2019t very sharp. This offering of his is still considered \u201ca work in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n 3 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 1 BB | 5 K<\/em><\/p>\n MLB’s No. 1 prospect tops out at 99.3 mph and gets whiffs on 47.1 percent of swings:\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/F1urgkxZn7<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline)\u00a0March 5, 2025<\/em><\/figure>\n Sasaki\u2019s scoreless spring debut was nothing less than a dominant showcase of his repertoire. But as good as it was and despite not giving up a run, it seems we\u2019re yet to see Sasaki at his best.<\/p>\n His fastball is yet to touch 100 mph and his shaky 5th inning didn\u2019t quite live up to his typical standards. But as discussed previously, this is only spring training.<\/p>\n We likely won\u2019t see Sasaki at peak performance until the regular season is underway. If Sasaki can improve upon Tuesday\u2019s performance, we can expect the Dodgers to be more dominant than ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The potential ace just demonstrated what Dodgers dominance will look like this year. Much has been made about the arrival of 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki. The… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n