Roki Sasaki strikes out 5, tops out at 99 mph in Dodgers spring training debut

Roki Sasaki, one of the most hyped MLB prospects in recent memory, made his spring training debut on Tuesday for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His velocity was as advertised.

In three scoreless innings, the Monster of the Reiwa Era allowed two hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out five against the Cincinnati Reds. He appeared in relief of countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who allowed two hits in four innings.

Per Baseball Savant, Sasaki averaged 98.0 mph with on 25 four-seam fastballs and topped out at 99.3, while also throwing 18 splitters and three sliders.

Paul Skenes topped all MLB pitchers with at least 1,500 pitches last season with a four-seamer that averaged 98.8 mph, meaning Sasaki sat at a velocity that would already be MLB's best. However, that speed was still short of the violence Sasaki inflicted the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he topped 100 mph in 26 of 29 fastballs in his debut.

Regaining that 2023 velocity after a (relatively) down 2024 is enough of a priority for Sasaki that he asked all of his free agent suitors to explain why they thought he lost it and how he could get it back. The Dodgers ended up winning, and that effort is still apparently a work in progress.