Who is Roki Sasaki? MLB’s future star

WEB DESK: Japanese baseball phenom, Roki Sasaki, was posted to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams on Tuesday, and will be available to be signed through 5 PM ET on January 23. But who exactly is Sasaki, and why is the sporting world so excited for him to join the MLB?

Roki Sasaki, thought to be one of the best pitchers in the world for his lightning quick fastball and his befuddling splitter, is coming to the MLB soon. 

“Since I joined the team, the team has been listening to my thoughts about my future MLB challenge, and I am very grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post,” Sasaki stated via the Marines on X, formerly known as Twitter.

WHO IS SASAKI?

Sasaki, 23, has played four seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league. He has posted an incredible 2.1 ERA over those four years, with his best showing coming in the 2023 season, when he posted a 1.78 ERA, striking out 135 batters in 91 innings.

But his single best performance came the year prior, when on April 10, Sasaki became the first player since 1994 to pitch a perfrect game, and the youngest ever to do so. While doing so, he decimated the record for most strikeouts in a row with 13, a record previosly set at nine by Takao Kajimoto in 1957. In total, he struck out 19 batters in his perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes.

“I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, so that I will have no regrets in my one and only baseball career and live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me.”

– Roki Sasaki

CONTRACT

With Juan Soto signing the largest professional sports deal just days prior, earning $765 million for 15 years, one may assume that Sasaki should be looking forward to a huge pay day. Even his own countrymen, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, earned mega sized contracts when they signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $700 million and $325 million respectively. Yoshinobu’s contract was the largest ever for a pure pitcher in MLB history. So can Sasaki expect something similar?

No. Sasaki can expect something more in line with what Ohtani received for his first contract when he joined the league in 2017. Players who are under 25 years old and have played in less than six seasons in a foreign league recognised by the MLB, are considered international amateur free agents and is thus subject to international bonus pool restrictions. Sasaki will only be eligible to sign a minor-league deal and receive a bonus from a team’s international bonus pool.

The Dodgers have the highest remaining bonus pool money at $2.5 million, followed by the Baltimore Orioles at $2.15. However, if Sasaki waits until 2025 signining period, whihc begins January 15, the bonus pool money resets. Then, the Athletics, Cincinnati, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Seatle, and Tampa Bay will have access to $7.5 million each. If Sasaki wants to play with Ohtani and Yamamoto, he will have to settle for less money, as Los Angeles has access to the least bonus pool money this next year at $5.1 million, alongisde San Francisco. 

Whichever team ends up getting Sasaki, they will be gaining a deadly asset on the mound. Heres why. 

SASAKI’S ARSENAL

Sasaki is lauded for his fastball, which in 2023 clocked in at a high of 102.5 mph, tying the record for fastest in NPB history with compatriot Ohtani. That season his fastball averaged 98.8 mph, but in 2024, it dipped to 96.8. The dip in velocity may be worrysome for potential bidders as Sasaki suffered an unspecified right arm injury that forced him to miss a few starts. In 2023, he also had a left oblique-muscle injury that side-lined him for over half the season. Many pitchers who throw as fast as Sasaki eventually need major surgery to their arm. Sasaki’s fastball also seems to have lost a little movement according to some evaluators, a claim backed up by a reduced whiff rate in this latest season. 

Regardless, Sasaki can still devestate batters with his splitter. Sasaki’s fellow Marines pitcher, James Dykstra was amazed to see the pitch after joining the team in the 2024 season.

“I knew how good it was in the World Baseball Classic and it even exceeded my expectations. It’s probably one of the best splitters I’ve ever seen.”

– James Dykstra

The pitch starts off looking like a fastball, before falling off a cliff as it reaches the batter. Sasaki’s splitter ranges around 88-90 mph, and had an incredible whiff rate of 57.1 per cent this last season. For comparison, that is over 20 per cent higher than the MLB whiff rate average for splitters. 

Sasaki also has a slider, which had a whiff rate of just over 40 per cent in 2024, and ranges in the mid 80’s in terms of speed. This is another pitch that has seen a slight decline when compared to earlier seasons. However, it is still a valuable took, which alongside his fastball and splitter, make him one of the most dangerous pitchers in the world.

Sasaki will soon so just how lethal he can be when he joins the MLB this coming season.