GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If not for his final chapter of 2025, Roki Sasaki might be in a rather uncertain place this spring.
Last year was shaping up to be a disappointing Major League rookie campaign for Sasaki until he returned from a right shoulder impingement for a dominant stint as the postseason closer. It was a different Sasaki on the mound compared with earlier in the year, but the one the Dodgers were expecting all along. And they're hoping that he'll only build on that experience in his sophomore season.
"It was really nice for myself to be able to see myself succeed in this level," Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton on Sunday. "It’s a whole different mindset going into this Spring Training if I didn’t succeed the way I did last postseason."
Sasaki has the experience of dominating big league hitters in relief under his belt. Now comes the task of translating that into a more familiar role as a starting pitcher when he returns to the rotation this year.
In order to do that, he's working to add another pitch or two to his bag. Sasaki threw one of them -- a "cutter-slider" -- during his live batting practice session on Sunday at Camelback Ranch, in which he topped out at 98.6 mph while facing Hyeseong Kim (two ground balls) and Seby Zavala (swinging strikeout).
"If he’s executing the fastball and the split the way he’s capable of, with what he’s done in the past, an amazing foundation," general manager Brandon Gomes said. "Anything on top of that is just gonna make things more challenging for the opposing hitters."
When Sasaki pitched in relief, he only threw his best two pitches: his devastating four-seamer/splitter combination. He threw a slider sparingly when he began the season in the rotation. During his four-plus months on the injured list last year, he began to tinker with a cutter and a sinker and continued to develop both during the offseason.
During his time in the rotation, Sasaki's four-seamer was hit hard. Opponents slugged .500 against it and and only whiffed 11.1% of the time. Part of the problem was that he wasn't landing his splitter in the strike zone, so hitters were able to hunt the fastball to do damage. There were select games where Sasaki's slider looked effective, but he didn't have consistent command of the pitch.
Sasaki ended up having relatively even splits against righty and lefty batters, but the right-handers hit for a better average (.239) and a higher slugging percentage (.418) than the left-handers (.203 average, .391 SLG). Accordingly, he's developing his arsenal with a focus on neutralizing righties.
The cutter gives him a weapon that tails away from righties, while the sinker should come in on their hands. He also spoke about throwing more of a gyro slider. Sasaki is still getting a feel for the new offerings, starting with his live session on Sunday.
"I’m not really convicted yet in terms of what direction I wanna take in terms of the cutter-slider," Sasaki said. "But the feedback from the pitching coaches was that it was really good."
The arsenal is just one piece of the puzzle. In the previous regular season, Sasaki didn't feel fully healthy. His mechanics were out of whack. A return to health and a clean delivery helped him succeed in the postseason, bringing back the high-octane velocity he was known for in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Coming off his first full offseason in the Dodgers' organization, Sasaki seems to be in a good place in his second big league Spring Training.
"The ball’s coming out really well, it’s coming out fast," manager Dave Roberts said. "Just kind of trying to harness his secondary pitches and continue to just build him up … and health being No. 1.”
That last point may be the most important for Sasaki. Last year, he scuffled to the tune of a 4.72 ERA and made only eight starts before going on the IL, then spent the summer on the sidelines before working his way back.
"Reflecting back on my last year, I just felt like I just stumbled with my own responsibility in the sense that it wasn’t really about the level of Major League Baseball or the hitters," Sasaki said. "It was just really more about things that I could’ve controlled that I didn’t. … My goal is to be able to pitch throughout the entire season."
From the day he signed with L.A., Sasaki has described himself as a work in progress. He's looking forward to the opportunity to show the strides he's made.