“Unraveling the Mystery: Is Dodgers Rookie Roki Sasaki the Next Pitching Phenomenon?”

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Via DeltaGraphs, here’s a look at how Sasaki’s arsenal evolved during his time in NPB:

• 2021

  • Fastball: 60% usage, 95 mph average

  • Splitter: 21%, 88 mph

  • Slider: 18%, 86 mph

• 2022

  • Fastball: 56%, 98 mph

  • Splitter: 34%, 89 mph

  • Slider: 5%, 88 mph

  • Curveball: 5%, 80 mph

• 2023

  • Fastball: 51%, 99 mph

  • Splitter: 35%, 89 mph

  • Slider: 14%, 88 mph

• 2024

  • Fastball: 46%, 97 mph

  • Splitter: 28%, 88 mph

  • Slider: 26%, 84 mph

The splitter has always been Sasaki’s preferred secondary offering, and he leaned on his fastball less in his final season in Japan. Perhaps that was a response to his slight dip in velocity in 2024, a trend Sasaki named during his free agency as something he was focused on fixing with his new team.

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