Roki Sasaki’s splitter gets raw reaction from Dodgers’ $13,000,000 bullpen arm

LA Dodgers international signee Roki Sasaki was the biggest catch in the offseason. Not because of money, but for sheer talent. Many analysts find him as the best pitcher who hasn't pitched in the majors.

And while the rest of America is yet to see why is that the case, the Dodgers bullpen down in Camelback Ranch, Glendale, Arizona, can already attest to that.

On Tuesday, Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain interviewed reliever Kirby Yates inside the locker room of the clubhouse at the Dodgers spring training facility. Yates, who also has a splitter in his arsenal, was asked about his reaction to Roki Sasaki’s splitter. His raw reaction should make every Dodger fan excited.

"Saw it, it's nasty," Yates said. "It's definitely different than mine. It breaks a lot, you know, and like, I knew Nomo kind of helped me; Hadeo Nomo helped me a little bit in San Diego when I was there and like watching his and then seeing what Nomo's was, it looks a lot like that in my opinion. You know, it's it's it's sick."

Yates, who signed a one-year, $13 million contract this offseason, compared Sasaki's "nasty" splitter to that of former Japanese ace Hideo Nomo, who played in the majors from 1995 to 2008. He was an All-Star and also won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1995.

Dodgers manager shares honest opinion after watching Roki Sasaki's first few bullpen sessions

Everybody in Camelback Ranch was hooked on watching the 23-year-old Roki Sasaki throw his first bullpen session. While not ideal at first, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sounded more than happy to have him on board.

"He is very observant. He is certainly young," Roberts said about Sasaki. "I think he’s really comfortable here. From his first bullpen session, which I thought was a little erratic, to the second one, he looked much cleaner and more consistent."

“There were probably some nerves in the first one, but the talent is still there, along with his composure,” Roberts added. “The next step will be when he faces some hitters, and then we’ll get him into a Cactus League game.”

Generally international signees are asked to grind out in the minors for a couple of years before they get to debut in the majors. However, in the case of Roki Sasaki, it's highly likely he will be added to the Dodgers starting rotation right from Opening Day.