The name of Japanese professional baseball pitcher Roki Sasaki (23, Chiba Lotte) came out during a press conference for the Major League Baseball Championship Series. The atmosphere of Sasaki’s possibility to advance to MLB is rising.
LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts held an official press conference ahead of Game 4 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the New York Mets on Wednesday. Among other issues, questions about Sasaki’s scramble for the upcoming championship series, which could potentially advance to the Major League, drew attention. According to the Japanese baseball media Full Count. When a U.S. reporter said that the number of viewers in the MLB reached 12.9 million in Japan, Roberts said, “I was surprised.” He was then asked, “If Sasaki can be recruited, do you think it will help the Dodgers become a brand powerhouse in Japan?” Roberts replied with a smile, saying, “Of course. I hope so.”
Sasaki, which is rumored to advance to MLB from the 2024 regular season, seems to be getting more interested in the U.S. as fall comes. With many clubs known to be interested, the Los Angeles Dodgers are said to be ahead of them. Andrew Friedman, president of the Dodgers’ baseball operations division, visited Japan several times during the season and watched Sasaki’s pitching.
If Sasaki officially begins its challenge to ML, the competition among big league clubs is expected to heat up. The Dodgers already have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was set up as a 12-year contract before this season, and Shohei Ohtani, who will play as an “idoryu” again from next year, will take the mound, but he is also interested in Sasaki and is poised to enter the recruitment race. Sasaki can be a good product because MLB is popular in Japan and he wants quality selection. 먹튀검증
Since 2016, the Major League has revised its international amateur contract rules, and has not allowed major league contracts for players under the age of 25 or for foreign players with less than six years of professional career. For this reason, it is impossible for foreign players who challenge the Major League at a young age to sign large contracts and for their original teams to receive large posting fees.
Nevertheless, Sasaki’s commitment to challenge himself to the big leagues is very strong. He showed tremendous potential and suffered frequent injuries after his debut this year, but he won 10 games and posted an ERA of 2.35 for the first time. His fastball, which exceeds 160 kilometers per hour, and his attractiveness with powerful folk balls make Major League teams excited.
In Japan, it is expected that Chiba Lotte will eventually accept Sasaki’s decision to go to the Major League. After the fall baseball is over, Sasaki’s entry into MLB is expected to heat up the U.S. and Japan.
