Roki Sasaki makes feelings known on Dodgers debut in Tokyo Series showdown vs Cubs

Roki Sasaki was one of the hottest names on the open market this past offseason despite never playing a single MLB game. The 23-year-old pitcher has been one of the most hyped international prospects in recent memory, and thanks to his status as an amateur, he was able to be pursued by nearly every team, not just the highest bidder.

The young flamethrower eventually agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, adding sure serious firepower to an already loaded rotation. After an offseason of hype, Roki Sasaki finally made his MLB debut for the Dodgers in the second game of the team's two game series in Japan against the Chicago Cubs.

Roki Sasaki was limited to only 3.0 innings of work, however, he looked as impressive as many predicted. The young pitcher only gave a up a single hit, but also allowed 5 walks. While Sasaki will likely improve in his next outing, the pitcher revealed in a post-game interview with Harold Reynolds of the MLB Network that he was nervous heading into his debut.

"I was nervous but I wanted to make the most of this unique opportunity And try to do my best... I was nervous , but in a way it really helped me concentrate," Sasaki explained through his interpreter to Reynolds.

It will be interesting to see how Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and the rest of the staff will monitor Sasaki's innings limit this season. It's likely that because the Dodgers and Cubs played official games before the end of Spring Training, the team was never going to let the young pitcher go deep into the game. Despite the short outing, Roki Sasaki was happy with his performance.

"I felt good. I felt that I was able to find good mechanics that worked for me... The fact that the team was able to win two games was really good. So I hope that I can throw more innings and really contribute to the team," Sasaki continued.

Roki Sasaki is not considered the betting favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award despite strong debut

Even though Roki Sasaki looked to have all of the tools to dominate in his rookie season, popular sports betting site FanDuel does not have him as the runaway favoirte to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

According to FanDuel, Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews is the current betting favorite to win the award. Crews is currently sitting at +300, while Sasaki is just slightly trailing, sitting at +320. Chicago Cubs slugger Matt Shaw comes in third right now with +350 odds.