Roki Sasaki explains why he chose the Dodgers, what role Shohei Ohtani played in his decision

The Dodgers introduced right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki to the Los Angeles media on Wednesday, holding a press conference at Dodger Stadium. Just last week, Sasaki agreed to join the Dodgers after an extensive free-agent recruitment process that included multiple meetings with the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres.

Sasaki, 23, was considered to be the best pitcher in the world who was not already under the employment of a Major League Baseball franchise. That’ll change now that he’s slated to be part of the same Dodgers rotation that features two of his Team Japan staffmates, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

What about the Dodgers appealed most to Sasaki, and how long has the organization had their eyes on him? For that answer and more, scroll slowly with us as we highlight five takeaways from Wednesday’s press conference.

1. Front office stability appealed to Sasaki

Predictably, Sasaki was asked what drew him to the Dodgers. His answer might qualify as a surprise, since it had nothing to do with the franchise’s recent World Series championship, roster, or anything of that nature. Rather, Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton: “The number one thing that stood out [about the Dodgers] was the stability of the front office.”

The Dodgers have indeed had continuity at some key positions within their organization. Top baseball operations executive Andrew Friedman has been in place since October 2014, and there’s no real reason to believe that’ll change anytime soon. Additionally, manager Dave Roberts has guided the Dodgers since the 2016 season.

Sasaki is about to experience a whirlwind of change by switching countries, leagues, and teams. It’s only human nature to want some stability under those circumstances. And it seems like he’ll find exactly that when it comes to part of the Dodgers organization. 

2. Ohtani, Yamamoto played minimal role in decision

Although the presence of Ohtani and Yamamoto was often identified as a factor that might give the Dodgers a leg up during the process, Sasaki said he didn’t prioritize teams having another Japanese player on their roster as part of his decision calculus. 

Sasaki added that he hopes to perform well enough so that he feels he can stand side-by-side with those two, as well as the rest of the impressive Dodgers roster.

3. Had dog depicted on socks

Sasaki wore socks to his press conference bearing the image of a dog. It was only a matter of time, then, before someone asked about the pup. 

Sasaki wouldn’t divulge his pet’s name, but did share that it’s a black toy poodle that shares his birthdate (Nov. 3).

4. Sasaki will wear No. 11

Although Sasaki previously wore No. 14 during international play and No. 17 as a member of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines, it was an open question as to what number he would wear with the Dodgers. That’s because neither number appeared available to him. The No. 14 was retired by the Dodgers in honor of Hall of Famer Gil Hodges, and the No. 17 currently belongs to Ohtani.

As it turns out, Sasaki will instead turn to No. 11, which had belonged to veteran infielder Miguel Rojas. 

Sasaki said that he was “very grateful” that Rojas gave up his number, and that he hasn’t decided but will start thinking about what gift to bestow upon Rojas in return.

5. Dodgers began scouting Sasaki in high school

Before Sasaki’s part of the press conference, the aforementioned Friedman revealed that the Dodgers had scouted Sasaki dating back to his high school days.

While that wasn’t too long ago for Sasaki, it goes to show that there’s more to these evaluative processes than may originally meet the eye.