Dodgers target Roki Sasaki's unhittable pitch earns him 2 generational comps

We're now on the verge of Roki Sasaki's expected signing window, and the most recent news from MLB insider Jeff Passan has Dodgers fans feeling pretty good about their chances to land the Japanese phenom. Passan reported that the Dodgers, along with the Padres and Blue Jays, are the three finalists in the Sasaki sweepstakes.

Couple that with the fact that the Dodgers are letting international free agents walk in an apparent attempt to free up additional space in their IFA budget, and the evidence is mounting that we can be confident about the Dodgers eventually landing the superstar.

And superstar he is. During his time in Japan's NPB, Sasaki has pitched to a 2.02 ERA in 414.2 innings, notching 524 strikeouts in that time. His fastball is nasty, topping out around 102 mph, and his splitter is now drawing comps to two elite former starters.

An ESPN panel of analysts was asked about who Sasaki compares to on the mound, and Dave Schoenfield mentioned the trio of Shohei Ohtani, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling, all three of whom have previously ridden a fastball/splitter combination to exceptional success.

Roki Sasaki's splitter is drawing comps to former superstars Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling

Based on performance alone, Clemens and Schilling are clear-cut Hall of Famers. That's high praise coming from a long-time MLB analyst like Schoenfield, who wasn't the only ESPN analyst to make the comp. Kiley McDaniel also mentioned both Clemens and Schilling as potential comps, while Buster Olney said that Sasaki's athleticism and pitch mix remind him of a young Yu Darvish.

In Clemens' case, the righty debuted at 21, finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. He had two Cy Young awards and an MVP trophy to his name by the end of his fourth professional season. Like Clemens, Schilling debuted at 21, but he was in his 30's by the time he hit his stride. Schilling never won any awards, but did have three second-place Cy Young finishes and twice led the league in strikeouts thanks to that nasty splitter.

Sasaki might be lucky to get the same results right off the bat, but he's clearly talented enough to make the jump. As Schoenfield notes, Sasaki posted a 57% whiff rate with the splitter in 2024, a ridiculously high mark that would have put him second in all of MLB this past year.

The splitter isn't the only thing Sasaki has going for him, though. He has a wicked sweeper that he relied on a bit more heavily in 2024, and to pretty meaningful success, and the four-seamer is good enough to be a devastating pitch in the majors. If he can sharpen up the back end of his arsenal as a major leaguer, he's going to be absolutely unhittable. With any luck, he'll become that guy while wearing Dodger blue.