There is no weapon as attractive as a fastball to a pitcher.

Major league interest in Rocky Sasaki of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japan national team is growing.

Sasaki only appeared once in this tournament. On the 11th (hereafter Korean time), he started in the Group B League match against the Czech Republic held at Tokyo Dome, giving up 2 hits and 2 walks in 3⅔ innings and conceding 1 run. His main weapon, the sinker, recorded a maximum of 101.9 miles and an average of 100.1 miles. He had 21 of 66 pitches for over 100 mph.

He even drew the attention of major league officials across the Pacific. On the 21st, at 8:00 am, he will start a semi-final against Mexico at Londipor Park in Miami, Florida, USA, and hold a ‘showcase’ in front of major league officials. There is no choice but to focus on the restraint rather than the content of the pitch itself. This is Sasaki’s first time on the mound at a major league ballpark.

In this regard, ESPN published an article titled ‘WBC 2023: Japan’s Sasaki Loki is the next great ace’, highlighting his redemption and the timing of entering the major leagues.

Reporter Jeff Passan, who wrote the article, said, “There is already a hot debate on whether the 21-year-old Sasaki, who was caught in the eyes of talent discerners, can be given the title of world’s best pitcher.” He introduced that he changed the highest speed of a Japanese high school pitcher four years ago.

In the meantime, the contents of the match against the Czech Republic and pitches,

Reporter Bankan said, “Sasaki, who has an ideally proportioned body (height 1m93, weight 84kg) and a mechanically perfect pitching form (complicated delivery guarantees accurate timing), is a pitcher that all teams are looking for,” and said, “No matter how bad it is, it is a degrom class selection.” A resource, and the splitter is deGrom’s slider. He also commented that he could soon become a clone of Ohtani with a versatile weapon, given that sliders and curves can also be an overwhelming repertoire.

DeGrom is one of the best pitchers in MLB who has won two Cy Young Awards. He recovered from his shoulder injury last year and returned in the second half and still showed off his powerful pitch. He threw 64⅓ innings in 11 games, posting a 3.08 earned run average, 102 strikeouts, and a 0.746 WHIP. He recorded a high speed of 101.4 mph and an average of 98.9 mph on his fastball, which was second only to Cincinnati Reds Hunter Green among starters.

DeGrom mixed four-seam fastballs 47.4%, sliders 39.3%, changeups 8.2%, and curveballs 5.1%. If you look at the splitters among Sasaki’s repertoire as deGrom’s sliders, the ball combinations are roughly similar.

A major league expert who watched Sasaki pitch several times praised him, saying, “He has all the qualities to achieve whatever he wants. It means he has the ability to become the best in the world.” It also refers to the power of the fast ball and the splitter.

Sasaki will have to wait until the end of the 2026 season to reach the major leagues after he turns 25. If he knocks out the major leagues before he’s 25, he’ll hit the international amateur age limit and only have to sign a one-year contract out of the international bonus pool range. He is considered an amateur player, so he cannot sign large, multi-year contracts. Because of this rule, Ohtani signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels for a $2.315 million signing bonus in December 2017, when he was 23 years old.

Sasaki said, “The major leagues are my dream,”바카라사이트 but said, “I will pitch in Japan, and I think something will become clear only when I move leagues.” It was interpreted as meaning that he would go all-in to win the WBC right now and focus on his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, for the next few years.