Biggest mystery for Dodgers who can make or break season: Roki Sasaki

For the most part, the Dodgers know what they have.

In Shohei Ohtani, they have the best player in baseball. In Mookie Betts, they have a capable shortstop who might or might not be declining offensively. In Freddie Freeman, they have a professional hitter whose short swing should slow down the effects of age.

Nothing is guaranteed in sports, but the Dodgers can estimate the range of potential outcomes this season for most of their players.

One notable exception: Roki Sasaki.

Pitchers and catchers will report to the Dodgers’ spring training home in Arizona on Feb. 13, and Sasaki will once again show up as one of the greatest mysteries in camp.

The Dodgers have invested heavily in the 24-year-old Sasaki, as they basically sacrificed two classes of international amateur players in their quest to sign him. Even after an up-and-down rookie season last year, they remain committed to him. Sasaki is committed to them as well, as plans are for him to stay in spring training rather than join the Japanese national team at the World Baseball Classic.

“We’re gonna give him every chance to be the fifth starter or the sixth starter,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Sasaki is the most naturally gifted pitcher Japan has produced. In his homeland’s domestic league, he dominated with only two-plus pitches, a 100-mph fastball and Wiffle ball-like forkball.

His transition to the major leagues last year was rough. His body looked undeveloped compared with other players. His command was lacking. His fastball velocity declined. By mid-May, he was on the injured list with a shoulder impingement. He didn’t return to the majors until the final week of the regular season.

When Sasaki returned, it was as a reliever, agreeing to a test run out of the bullpen on the condition that he be granted a chance to start next season. With the back of the Dodgers’ bullpen in shambles, Sasaki inherited the role of closer almost by default and thrived. In four postseason games, he registered three saves and a 0.84 ERA.

His unexpected October heroics restored his phenom status, but Roberts cautioned that for his success as a reliever to translate into success as a starter, he will have to make adjustments.

“For me,” Roberts said, “he needs to develop a third pitch.”

Perhaps a slider, perhaps a curveball.

“It’s going to need to be something that goes left,” Roberts said.

A fastball-forkball mix could work for a reliever who comes in and throws as hard as he can for an inning. But Roberts reasons that as good as Sasaki’s primary pitches are, the right-hander will need another offering to keep hitters guessing in his second or third time through the order.

Some evaluators wonder if Sasaki has a delivery that could prevent him from effectively throwing another pitch, but Roberts believes the obstacle is more mental than physical.

“It’s always hard for a young player who’s had success doing something one way – great success – to now be vulnerable and open to something the game hasn’t told you that you needed to do,” Roberts said.

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

The Dodgers have encountered trouble reaching Sasaki, who is known for his strong individual streak. When he emerged as a bullpen savior, the organization scrambled to share stories of how it helped him recover his fastball velocity. Sasaki offered an entirely different retelling of events that minimized the role played by the team. He said he discovered the problems with his delivery when he watched old videos of himself.

Roberts said he was conscientious about striking a balance in dealing with Sasaki. He wants Sasaki to have the humility to be open to ideas. But he also wants him to retain the brashness that made him stare down hitters in the ninth inning. Roberts said the game should lead him to his destination.

“I like the phrase, ‘The game tells you,’” Roberts said.

The game once told Ohtani to abandon the leg kick he used in Japan. The game told Clayton Kershaw to develop a slider. Now, Roberts expects the game to tell Sasaki that he has to add a weapon to his arsenal. Sasaki’s future as a starter could depend on it.