JUST IN: Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers’ prized pitcher, has been called “soft” by 12-year MLB veteran Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy, a former All-Star catcher, expressed his opinion on Twitter, stating that Sasaki needs to experience failure to toughen up and reach his full potential. Lucroy’s comments sparked a debate among fans and analysts, with some defending…
Los Angeles Dodgers Roki Sasaki has been the talk of the town since he signed with the defending champions. But after an abysmal start Saturday, he was the recipient of harsh criticism from a retired Major League veteran.
Jonathan Lucroy, who spent 12 years as an MLB catcher, took to social media to express his opinion on Sasaki’s shaky start Saturday. The right-hander was visibly emotional watching the bullpen take over in the second inning of the game.
Lucroy wrote on X: “He’s soft. I’ve seen it before. Only thing that will help him is to fail. Massively. He will either peter out, or, transform into a hardened warrior. That will be his choice. Big time players make big time players in big time situations.”
Although the former catcher has spent over a decade working with pitchers, Lucroy’s declaration that Sasaki is “soft” seemed extremely out of place.
The veteran chose to double down on his comments in a follow-up post on X, continuing the discourse criticizing Sasaki’s character.
“I agree but saying it’s unfair is misguided,” Lucroy wrote. “The kid is in MLB playing at the highest level in the world. Let me rephrase, currently in his state, he is soft. However, he can harden up and be even better. But, just like your last sentence, how he responds will be the question.”
The Japanese fireballer has evidently struggled to find his rhythm in the Major Leagues, but manager Dave Roberts and catcher Will Smith have voiced their confidence in Sasaki despite the struggles.
“Dodger Stadium’s intimidating. There’s four decks here. It’s loud. It’s fun. It takes a lot to be able to perform here,” Smith said. “We have full confidence in Roki. He’ll settle in. He’ll start pitching better. He’ll start dominating the (strike) zone. He’ll be really good for us.”
Roberts added: “All he’s known is success. And so I think that he’s certainly upset, disappointed. But you got to be a pro and get back to work. It’s not the first time that a starting pitcher has had two bad outings. And so again, this is all the learning curve, and we still got a good ball club, and we’re going to need him.”
Through his first two starts in MLB, Sasaki has thrown just 4.2 innings, allowing three runs, four hits, and nine walks.
