Dodgers 'going back to the drawing board' as Rōki Sasaki concerns mount

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the offseason sweepstakes for 23-year-old Japanese phenom Rōki Sasaki. He has struggled early on, and the Dodgers are still trying to figure out how to unlock his best form.

The Dodgers gave Sasaki a $6.5 million signing bonus as an international prospect. He has a 4.72 ERA and has issued 22 walks in eight games. Pitching coach Mark Prior revealed the Dodgers' current process in getting Sasaki back to his best.

"We go back to the drawing board every week with him. We try to talk to him about some certain things, some ideas," Prior said per the Los Angeles Times. "But ultimately, he’s working through his process, and we’re just trying to support him with everything we can."

Sasaki's fastball velocity has been the glaring difference in his play in Nippon Professional Baseball and now. He reached 100 mph in the team's season opener in his home country of Japan. However, since then, his velocity has hovered in the low 90s.

"For some pitchers, this wouldn’t be as pressing a problem," wrote the Los Angeles Times' Jack Harris. "Even in an era of rising fastball velocities around the sport, sitting in the mid-90s is still safely above the major-league average.

"Sasaki, however, needs premium velocity (plus consistent command) to make his heater competitive. Because, for all his other raw natural talent, there isn’t much natural deception to the pitch."

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Sasaki had a 2.35 ERA in NPB last year. He had a 2.46 ERA in four seasons for the Chiba Lotte Marines. The Dodgers have World Series aspirations and may not be able to keep waiting around for Sasaki to figure things out. However, they have not had discussions about sending Sasaki down to the minor leagues, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

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