164 km, even if it is perfect, “it is still in the development stage”, what kind of monster are you going to make it into? Sasaki WBC Interim Substitution Prospect

“It’s still in the development stage”.

There is a prospect that Rocky Sasaki (23. Chiba Lotte Marines), a promising pitcher for the Japanese national team, will be replaced after the first round of the WBC tournament. He said that once he starts one game as a starting pitcher, he has virtually nothing to do, so he returns to the team without overdoing it. This is a plan to raise Japan’s next-generation ace. 

Sasaki threw 47 bullpen pitches on the second day of spring camp on the 2nd. It was the WBC official ball. He pitched 4 innings in the national team evaluation game in November last year, and exposed his insecurity to the slippery official ball. Afterwards, he steadily practiced only with the official ball. Sasaki showed confidence, saying, “I’m more used to it than in November. The breaking ball is also a passing point. I can definitely control the ball.” 

Sasaki is one of the four starters for Japan’s national team, along with Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), and Yoshinobu Yamamato (Orix Buffaloes). He directed a perfect game in the 2022 season and emerged as the next-generation ace. Japanese media expect Sasaki to start against the Czech Republic in the third round of the first round.

However, starting with the 2nd round and starting with the 3rd starter system, Sasaki’s chances of making the mound are practically low. Considering the schedule for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, he said that Darvish, Otani, and Yamamoto would be enough to operate. Sasaki moves to the bullpen, but it is expected that additional appearances will be difficult in reality. 메이저놀이터

Therefore, it is expected that he will be replaced after the first round after the first round appearance. Masato Yoshii, head coach of Chiba Lotte, who is in charge of the national team’s pitching coach, said, “It is difficult to use Sasaki, who is still in the training stage and has various restrictions such as the number of pitches, as a relief team whose pitching schedule is uncertain. If he is brought to the United States, there will be problems adjusting the season.” Explained. 

Gendai Nikkan conveyed the atmosphere of the national team, saying, “Sasaki is recognized as a treasure of Japanese baseball, and he will not overdo it in the WBC tournament. It is wise to drop out midway.” It is interpreted as a consideration to erase Sasaki’s injury concerns and raise him as a perfect ace representing Japanese baseball.

Sasaki pitched 164km at the highest speed and pitched in only 20 games last season and played 129⅓ innings. He went 9-4 with a 2.02 earned run average and a 0.80 WHIP. His first year of debut saw him seal the mound and only make 11 appearances in 2021. He made another dramatic improvement last year and is expected to step up as a fearsome, perfect monster pitcher this year.