GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2014 Roki Sasaki was credited with three saves during the Dodgers\u2019 postseason run last October.<\/p>\n
But his late-season move to the bullpen might have saved the whole year for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really nice for myself to be able to see myself succeed at this level,\u201d Sasaki said through an interpreter Sunday. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole different mindset going into this spring training if I didn\u2019t succeed the way I did last postseason.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, compared to the hype that surrounded his move to MLB, Sasaki\u2019s rookie season was a big disappointment. He struggled to put away major-league hitters, was out of the Dodgers\u2019 starting rotation by mid-May and spent most of the season on the sidelines. The Dodgers had tried to emphasize the young right-hander was a work in progress when he made the jump from Japan. His results as a rookie seemed to prove it.<\/p>\n
\u201cReflecting back on my last year, I just felt like I just stumbled with my own responsibility in the sense that it wasn\u2019t really about the level of Major League Baseball or the hitters. It was just really more about things that I could\u2019ve controlled that I didn\u2019t,\u201d Sasaki said. \u201cSo, this year coming into the year \u2013 my goal is to be able to pitch throughout the entire season. And I think that will allow me to be able to show what I have to work on in the big-league level.\u201d<\/p>\n
A big part of his late-season revival in relief was the strength he had gained while on the injured list and adjustments he had made in his delivery. He arrived in camp this spring feeling healthy, with a stronger shoulder, \u201cand also my mechanics are in a way better spot than last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
He showed that during a live batting practice session Sunday when he touched 98 mph while throwing to Hyeseong Kim and non-roster catcher Seby Zavala.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old right-hander certainly seems to be in a better position to succeed this season, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said after watching the live BP.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s mechanics. It helps he had a really good offseason of strength and flexibility and the whole thing,\u201d Gomes said. \u201cThe total package of what was a strong offseason, to come in and the early signs of the bullpens we\u2019ve seen up to this point and since he\u2019s been out here has been really encouraging. So excited for him to undertake a full season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dodgers will be even more excited if Sasaki can expand his arsenal beyond the four-seam fastball and splitter that were enough to dominate Japanese batters. His slider was an inadequate companion piece last season and he is working with a new grip as well as adding a cutter and two-seam fastball to his pitch mix this year.<\/p>\n
Expanding his repertoire, particularly against right-handed batters, will be important this season, Sasaki acknowledged.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sliders that I threw last year weren\u2019t good. Results-wise, it wasn\u2019t good too,\u201d he said. \u201cThis year, I want to focus more on the gyro-spin slider. Today I haven\u2019t thrown the two-seamer, but that\u2019s also in the works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sasaki is \u201cfully capable\u201d of mastering the new pitches, Gomes said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, you have the fastball and split that are incredibly dominant. Last year, I don\u2019t think he was ever in a great spot health-wise until the end of the year,\u201d Gomes said. \u201cAll of the stuff that we\u2019ve seen so far, he\u2019s looked really, really good. The bullpens have been exceptional, the pitch movements. He\u2019s throwing the cutter, sinker. He\u2019s having an expanded arsenal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he\u2019s executing the fastball and the split the way he\u2019s capable of, with what he\u2019s done in the past, an amazing foundation. Anything on top of that is just gonna make things more challenging for the opposing hitters.\u201d<\/p>\n
MONEY TALK<\/p>\n
While owners around MLB are bemoaning the Dodgers\u2019 big spending and are prepared to battle for a salary cap when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires next winter, players think all the fat checks being written by the Dodgers are just great.<\/p>\n
\u201cI (bleeping) love it,\u201d Padres star Manny Machado said to reporters in camp on Sunday, claiming that all teams have the wherewithal to match the Dodgers. \u201cEvery team should be doing it. That (stuff) is (bleeping) great for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, at Phillies camp in Florida, Bryce Harper offered a strong defense of the way the Dodgers go about their business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love what the Dodgers do, obviously,\u201d Harper told reporters. \u201cI mean, they pay the money. They spend the money.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt bothers me when everybody talks about the Dodgers spending money. No. They draft. They develop. They do it the right way. They understand what it takes to be the best team in baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gomes was asked about the comments from Machado and Harper and whether they provide any validation for the way the Dodgers operate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe validation is winning championships and putting out as good a team as you can each and every year,\u201d the GM said.<\/p>\n
ALSO<\/p>\n
Catcher Ben Rortvedt was claimed on waivers by the New York Mets. Rortvedt was designated for assignment earlier this week when the Dodgers signed right-hander Evan Phillips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2014 Roki Sasaki was credited with three saves during the Dodgers\u2019 postseason run last October. But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470874,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[2323,363,99],"class_list":["post-470873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}