Roki Sasaki

As a 20-year-old NPB phenom, Sasaki threw a perfect game and followed that up with eight perfect innings in his next start. Three years later, he's set to get his shot at the MLB level. He's sure to generate a ton of interest due to his youth and potential, but there's plenty of downside with Sasaki as well. First and foremost are durability concerns. He topped out at 20 starts and 129.1 innings in 2022 and has averaged 16.5 starts and 101 innings over the last two years while battling oblique and arm issues. He's taking steps to address those concerns by decreasing his fastball velocity and pitching to contact more often, with his fastball now sitting in the upper 90s instead of triple digits and his K% falling from 39.1% in 2023 to 28.6% in 2024. That could mean Sasaki is simply getting worse rather than making a conscious decision to stay healthy, as it did result in a career-high ERA - but when a 2.35 ERA represents a career high, expect MLB teams to remain very interested. Read Past Outlooks