"If Sasaki making the postseason roster is a possibility, Roberts noted what he needs to see the right-hander continue doing, but made sure to assert his belief in him. "Velocity, strike-throwing, the split that gets swing-and-miss, and just the ability emotionally to handle coming out of the 'pen and attacking guys is something he's never done before," Roberts said. "It's still pitching, it's still baseball. I feel he can do it, but it's up to him to go out there and perform.""
"As Sasaki has ramped up his production during his rehab outings, including his improved velocity of a 98.6 mph average fastball during his most recent start, the idea of placing him in the bullpen has certainly come up."
"It isn't just the fastball with Sasaki, as his splitter was one of the tools that scouts were enamoured with. Even during his abysmal starts at the MLB level, his splitter was his best pitch. Batters were hitting just .158 against it, swinging and missing 35 percent of the time."
Right-hander Roki Sasaki, 23, has not pitched since May because of shoulder complications and produced a 4.72 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 22 walks across 34.1 MLB innings. He has shown improved velocity during recent rehab outings, averaging a 98.6 mph fastball in his most recent start, prompting consideration of a bullpen role. The Dodgers will meet with Sasaki this week to discuss his potential October role and assess his availability. Manager Dave Roberts emphasized the need for consistent velocity, strike-throwing, an effective splitter that induces swing-and-miss, and the emotional ability to attack hitters from the bullpen.
Read at Dodgers Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]