Roncy Sasaki's MLB experience highlights the value of the Dodgers' insistence that the major leagues adjust their course rather than devolve to 3A

The high expectations that have been placed on Hiroshi Sasaki since the beginning of Japan's professional baseball landing in the major leagues are destined to be unattainable. Indeed, he fully embodied what the Dodgers described as a "work in progress" when they signed this winter.

The 23-year-old right-hand shooter, who started his season as the top 100 rookie in the MLB Pipeline, started one win and one loss in eight games, had a 4.72 ERA and delivered 24 strikeouts and 22 warranties in 34.1 innings. Although there are bright spots, his growing pains are particularly conspicuous among the Dodgers who are aiming to defend the title. The Sidewinders conceded five points in four games on Friday, setting the worst start of his major league career.

The day after the game, coach Dave Roberts made it clear: "Hands-on experience is the most effective way to learn. He's struggling right now, and the big league hitters will tell you what needs to be adjusted. The coach can give advice, and he thinks for himself. But in the end, it has to be adjusted through actual feedback – and that can only be done in the big leagues. "

A clear response to the possibility of decentralization:
"At this stage, we didn't consider the minor league triple-A option at all," Roberts stressed, "and the learning experience in the major leagues was invaluable. "

In-depth analysis of the speedball problem:
In Sasaki's arsenal, the knuckle ball is destructive, and the slider is an unexpected surprise, but the lack of form of the four-slit speedball makes the overall distribution system ineffective. Here are the top three sticking points of speedball:

Ball speed
When signing in the offseason, Sasaki asked teams to find out the cause of their 2024 ball speed drop and provide solutions, which became a long-term issue. Statcast data shows that its four-slit speedball averages 96mph (better than 80% of major league pitchers), but it's a significant difference from the three-digit fireball of the NPB era. "Still working with the coaching staff to get to the roots," Sasaki said through translation Will Ireton, "and there are no clear conclusions." "

Swing rate
The drop in the power of the fastball leads to an increase in the batting rate. The opponent's contact rate against his four-seam speedball was as high as 89.9 percent, and the overall swing rate of 20.4 percent was only better than that of MLB pitchers at 18 percent. That's the main reason for his increased use of the slide – "recognizing the aggressiveness of the hitter to the speedball," which Roberts sees as a positive sign of trust in the entire arsenal.

Possession of the ball
Sasaki denied trading the slowdown for an increase in possession, but the 94mph mid-range speed forced precision to be a lifeline. "You have to use a precise fastball to get the ball in order for the knuckle and slider to get the most out of it," Roberts noted, "and that's the team's focus right now." As his debut season in the major leagues, he needed to adapt to understand the league style. "

Future Prospects:
Despite Dodger's patience, the margin for error under the pressure of defending the title is shrinking. Whether or not Sasaki can deliver on his promise of "self-correction through hitter feedback" will determine whether he can play a key role on the October stage.