Surprised? So are we\u2026<\/p>\n
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Imago<\/p>\n
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA World Series-Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Dodgers Oct 29, 2025 Los Angeles, California, USA Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage 39 walks off the mound after the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles Dodger Stadium California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKiyoshixMiox 20251029_bgd_ma1_067<\/p>\n
There\u2019s actually a clear reason why Yesavage wasn\u2019t included in the rankings. As per MLB, only players who\u2019ve surpassed 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days of active MLB service time were eligible. Yesavage, despite his postseason heroics, threw just 14 regular-season innings. Hence, he didn\u2019t qualify.<\/p>\n
But Roki Sasaki?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n If you remember, the Japanese phenom entered MLB with much fanfare, but his debut season didn\u2019t exactly go as planned. Before a shoulder injury sidelined him in May, Sasaki posted a 4.72 ERA over eight starts with the Dodgers, and his fastball velocity had dipped by 3\u20134 mph compared to his days in Japan!!!<\/p>\n Even during his rehab, things looked rough. For example, in his fourth outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City, he gave up four runs in five innings and averaged just 94.4 mph on his heater, his second-lowest mark across both the Majors and Minors. Manager Dave Roberts didn\u2019t hide his disappointment<\/a>, saying, \u201cAgainst Triple-A hitters, you would expect more.\u201d<\/p>\n But then came the twist\u2026<\/p>\n When Sasaki shifted to the bullpen for the postseason, he completely reinvented himself, posting a 0.84 ERA with three saves in nine appearances, playing a key role in the Dodgers\u2019 World Series championship run. That late-season redemption earned him a solid No. 8 spot in the MLB pipeline rankings.<\/p>\n 2026 would be the year for a proper Sasaki-Yesavage feud<\/p>\n Even with his dominant postseason showing, it\u2019s hard to make a fair comparison between Trey Yesavage and Roki Sasaki because the sample size is still so small. For the unversed, Yesavage has logged just 14 major league innings in 2025, while Sasaki has thrown about 36.1 innings. So,\u00a0not exactly a big enough pool to draw firm conclusions from.<\/p>\n Moreover, their paths to the majors couldn\u2019t be more different. Sasaki came over from the NPB and needed time to adjust to MLB hitters, whereas Yesavage rocketed straight from college ball through the minors to the big leagues in just a few months. Hence, that gives them very different developmental timelines and risk levels.<\/p>\n That said, if we\u2019re basing it purely on early performance, Yesavage gets the edge. His quick rise, poise on the mound, and polished pitch all point to a slightly smoother start.<\/p>\n