Dodgers welcome Roki Sasaki, plan to ‘hit the | College News

Dodger Stadium stays underneath construction, in the midst of vital offseason renovations for the defending World Series champions.

But lots of of reporters flocked to Chavez Ravine on Wednesday, nonetheless, to witness the staff introduce one of the remaining key items of its 2025 roster.

Less than a week after asserting he would signal with the Dodgers in a single of this offseason’s main free company coups, 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki was launched by the staff at a celebratory information convention — the newest star-player reception for a staff that has been stockpiling them over the final a number of winters.

“Putting on this Dodgers uniform today, I’m reminded that my journey is just about to begin,” the pitcher stated by means of interpreter Will Ireton after slipping into a white No. 11 jersey. “And it makes me feel more focused than ever.”

Introductory information conferences are nothing new for the Dodgers.

They held two final offseason to consummate their acquisitions of fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Twice already this offseason, membership brass had taken a stage in the right-field Stadium Club to welcome two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and welcome back fan favourite Teoscar Hernández.

Another ceremony could possibly be on the horizon quickly with the staff having agreed to a deal with prime free-agent reliever Tanner Scott final weekend.

Sasaki’s arrival, nonetheless, was a distinctive affair, with the hard-throwing right-hander being hailed as a key — and economical — half of the staff’s future after inking a minor league contract with a $6.5-million signing bonus that was finalized Wednesday.

Sasaki was restricted to such a modest deal, as he signed as an worldwide newbie as a result of he came visiting from Japan earlier than turning 25. But it belied the tantalizing potential he’s bringing to the Southland, the place Dodgers officers hope he can shortly turn into a bona fide large league ace.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman described Sasaki as “one of the most electrifying and promising talents in the game.”

“This is truly an exciting moment for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization,” Friedman stated, smiling back at Sasaki on the stage. “You will not only add to our rich legacy, but you will also play an instrumental part in helping us write the next chapter in Dodgers history.”

In addition to Sasaki and Friedman, the Dodgers stuffed up the makeshift stage on the proper discipline loge degree that hosted Wednesday’s information convention. General supervisor Brandon Gomes and supervisor Dave Roberts had been there, as was membership president Stan Kasten. In the first row of folding chairs, members of the Dodgers’ Guggenheim possession group had been current — although not membership chairman Mark Walter — alongside members of Sasaki’s personal help staff from Japan.

Like final 12 months’s information conferences for Ohtani and Yamamoto, the “Guggenheim” identify was additionally prominently displayed on the podium and backdrop.

But a new twist this time: Wednesday’s occasion opened with a spotlight video of Sasaki that performed over a line by Dodger Stadium public deal with announcer Todd Leitz:

“Now on the mound for the Dodgers — Roki Sasaki.”

For membership brass, that sentence represented a longtime dream come true.

Friedman stated Sasaki first popped up on the Dodgers’ radar six years in the past, when his athletic body and heavy velocity caught the consideration of their worldwide scouts whereas Sasaki was nonetheless in high faculty.

From there, Sasaki’s repute has solely grown, together with his upper-90s fastball, devastating splitter and steadily enhancing slider main evaluators to rank him as one of the most proficient pitchers in the world.

“I think it’s definitely Cy Young-caliber,” Gomes stated. “And to continue to do what he’s done in Japan, at this age, and have the ability and room to get better is really exciting and impressive.”

Sasaki doesn’t but think about himself a “finished product,” in the phrases of his agent Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media Group. But the Dodgers’ are hopeful the 6-foot-4 hurler shall be ready to shortly adapt to life in the majors, and turn out to be an on the spot contributor in subsequent season’s World Series title protection.

“The plan is to hit the ground running in spring training and have him be a big part of helping us win games,” Friedman stated.

Sasaki described his decision-making course of in free company as “incredibly difficult,” after going by means of an initial spherical of conferences with a handful of groups earlier than taking in-person visits to his three finalists, the Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.

“When they left Toronto, I felt like he could easily go to Toronto. When we left San Diego, I felt like he could easily choose San Diego. And when he came here, I really thought the entire process, it was a coin flip,” Wolfe stated. “I had no idea what he was gonna say when he ultimately said, ‘OK, it’s Dodgers.’”

Sasaki didn’t offer many specifics about what in the end influenced his remaining selection, however cited the “stability of the front office” as one key issue. He additionally stated he was searching for “a place purely based on where I can grow as a player the most.”

“I had the opportunity to speak to a lot of teams, and they had a lot of appealing features,” Sasaki stated. “But overall, when I looked at the general consensus, I thought that the Dodgers were at the top.”

One dynamic Sasaki downplayed was the presence of Ohtani and Yamamoto already being on the staff, saying it “wasn’t a priority for me” to play alongside fellow Japanese stars.

However, Sasaki stated he did take solace in understanding “that a Japanese player would be embraced in the team and the city.”

And when he knowledgeable his two former Team Japan — and now, future Dodger — teammates of his determination, he stated they instantly welcomed him to the membership, the first of many heat receptions that has marked Sasaki’s blockbuster arrival.

“Being able to play with Ohtani and Yamamoto, both exceptional players, really looking forward to playing with them,” he stated. “And not just them, but the rest of the team, which is incredibly talented as well. So I hope and I’m going to work toward making sure that I can stand side by side with them.”