Roki Sasaki’s 2025 campaign certainly wasn’t a conventional one.
Pegged as the top prospect in the sport, he ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He began the season as a starter — though a combination of injury and general ineffectiveness led to a lengthy stint away from the team in the Minor Leagues.
However, as the regular season came to a close, Sasaki was brought up to be a bullpen option — and that resulted in the young right-handed pitcher developing into the team’s best closer. Sasaki’s performances were both shocking and highly potent nature given what the earlier portion of the year looked like.