Scouting Reports For Roki Sasaki, Top NPB & KBO Players To Know For 2025

Roki Sasaki, RHP

BA Grade/Risk: 75/High

Born: Nov. 3, 2021. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-4. WT: 202.

Track Record: Like most legends, Sasaki’s story begins with tragedy. When he was nine, his father and grandparents were killed by a tsunami caused by the massive Tohoku Earthquake. Sasaki, his mother and two brothers lived in a nursing home before resettling in the small coastal city of Ofunato. Sasaki began playing baseball as an escape and blossomed into the country’s top amateur pitcher. At Ofunato High School, he reached 101 mph to break Shohei Ohtani’s national high school record and earned the nickname “The Monster of the Reiwa Era.” He received further acclaim when he threw a 12-inning complete game with 21 strikeouts on 194 pitches in a regional qualifier for Koshien, Japan’s famed national high school tournament. Chiba Lotte selected Sasaki with the first overall pick in the 2019 Nippon Professional Baseball draft and, cognizant of protecting his arm, sat him during the 2020 season and used him sparingly in 2021. Once Chiba Lotte turned him loose in 2022, Sasaki became an international sensation. At 20 years old, he pitched a perfect game with an NPB-record 19 strikeouts. He threw eight more perfect innings his next start and finished the year with 173 strikeouts, second-most in the Pacific League. He made his U.S. debut at the 2023 World Baseball Classic semifinals against Mexico and averaged 100.5 mph on his fastball, helping lead Japan to the gold medal. Sasaki made only 15 starts in 2023 due to a torn left oblique and 18 starts in 2024 due to shoulder fatigue, but he starred when healthy. He went 10-5, 2.35 with 129 strikeouts and 32 walks in 111 innings for Chiba Lotte in 2024 and was posted after the season.

Scouting Report: Sasaki has a lean, projectable, 6-foot-4, 202-pound frame and an explosive arsenal that rivals any in Major League Baseball. His fastball sits 96-100 mph and touches 102 with remarkably little effort and jumps on hitters with late explosion. His fastball occasionally flattens out and plays below its raw velocity, but it’s still a plus-plus pitch he can blow by hitters with pure power. Sasaki’s primary weapon is a devastating splitter that most observers consider the best in the world. His splitter comes out of the same slot as his fastball at 88-91 mph before diving hard into the ground to draw foolish swings and misses from both lefthanded and righthanded batters. He cuts his splitter in both directions and throws it with so much power and movement that catchers sometimes struggle to handle it. Sasaki mostly uses his fastball to get ahead of hitters and his splitter to finish them, but he began integrating his slider more last season to become a more complete pitcher. His slider sits 83-85 mph with late, vertical snap and projects to be a plus offering as he throws it with more conviction and confidence. He also drops in an occasional 80-81 mph curveball to steal a strike early in counts. Sasaki ties his head-turning arsenal together with plus control and is an elite competitor who goes right after hitters. The only source of concern is his health. Sasaki’s velocity dropped last year as he battled arm soreness and he has never pitched more than 129.1 innings in a season. A lack of upper body strength causes timing issues in his delivery and puts excess stress on his shoulder and elbow.

The Future: Sasaki projects to be a No. 1 starter as long as he stays healthy. He just turned 23 and should get stronger and more durable as he enters his physical prime.

Scouting Grades: FB: 70 | CB: 45 | SL: 60 | SPLT: 80 | CTL: 60

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Hyeseong Kim, 2B

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Born: Jan. 27, 1999. B-T: L-R. HT: 5-10. WT: 176.

Track Record: A decorated high school player, Kim made his KBO debut at 18 years old and spent three seasons as Ha-Seong Kim’s double-play partner with Nexen and Kiwoom. Once Ha-Seong Kim signed with the Padres, Hyeseong Kim took his place as Korea’s most coveted infielder. Kim hit .304/.364/.403 over eight seasons, stole 211 bases and became the league’s first player to win a Gold Glove award at both shortstop and second base. He hit .326 with a career-high 11 home runs and 75 RBIs for Kiwoom in 2024 and was posted after the season.

Scouting Report: Kim is a pure lefthanded hitter with a natural feel for contact. He is a twitchy athlete with a quick, compact swing and drives balls through the middle of the field with surprising strength. He recognizes pitches, manages the strike zone and consistently barrels balls with his excellent hand-eye coordination. Kim’s swing isn’t conducive for loft, and he doesn’t project to be a home run threat, but he hits enough hard line drives to be an above-average hitter. Kim is a plus-plus runner and efficient basestealer who was successful on 85% of his stolen base attempts in the KBO. He has the speed and instincts to steal 30-plus bases annually, although he could stand to be more aggressive. Kim is a quick, athletic defender at second base who ranges well to both sides and has smooth footwork on double-play turns. He has experience playing shortstop, but his below-average arm strength and bouts of throwing inaccuracy make him better suited for second base.

The Future: Kim projects to be a solid, everyday second baseman who hits for average, steals bases and plays above-average defense. Like most Korean players, he’ll need time to adjust to major league velocity before reaching his potential.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 55 | POW: 30 | RUN: 70 | DEF: 55 | ARM: 40

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Tomoyuki Sugano, RHP

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Medium

Born: Oct. 11, 1989. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-1. WT: 187.

Track Record: A touted pitcher since his amateur days, Sugano spent 12 seasons as the ace of the storied Yomiuri Giants and twice won the Sawamura Award, Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young. He memorably pitched six innings without allowing an earned run against Team USA in the semifinals of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, leading manager Jim Leyland to say “he’s a big league pitcher.” Sugano was originally posted after the 2019 season, but he elected to return to Japan and continue his NPB career. He went 15-3, 1.67 with 111 strikeouts and 16 walks in 156.2 innings for the Giants in 2024 to win his third Central League MVP award. He became a free agent after the season and announced he would move to MLB.

Scouting Report: Sugano is a savvy, experienced righthander who carves through lineups with plus command of a varied arsenal. His fastball velocity has dropped from 94-96 mph to 92-93 mph as he’s dealt with injuries and age, but he’s able to move his fastball around the zone and command it with precision. Sugano’s main secondary pitch is an above-average, low-80s slider out with a long arc he locates to the edges of the zone. He also has an average, mid-80s cutter with short, late movement and a fringy curveball he’ll drop in for strikes. His best secondary pitch is an above-average splitter, but he doesn’t throw it often. Sugano has dealt with injuries to his back and hip and has lost life and velocity on his pitches as he’s aged. He relies on changing speeds, mixing his pitches and hitting his spots to be effective.

The Future: Sugano’s savvy gives him a chance to be an effective No. 4 or 5 starter at this point in his career. He’s 35 years old and doesn’t have many prime years left.

Scouting Grades: FB: 50 | CB: 45 | SL: 55 | CT: 50 | SPLT: 55 | CTL: 65

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Shinnosuke Ogasawara, LHP

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Born: Oct. 8, 1997. B-T: L-R. HT: 5-11. WT: 205.

Track Record: Ogasawara burst onto the scene at 2015 Summer Koshien when he repeatedly reached the mid 90s and carried Tokodai Sagami High School to the championship as the team’s ace. He followed with a dominant showing at the 2015 U-18 World Cup and was selected by Chunichi in the first round of the 2015 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. Ogasawara made his NPB debut at 18 and struggled in his early years, but he eventually settled in to become one of Chunichi’s most consistent and durable starters. He went 5-11, 3.12 with 82 strikeouts and 22 walks in 144.1 innings in 2024 and was posted after the season.

Scouting Report: Ogasawara is a physical, muscular lefthander who commands a deep arsenal. His fastball sits 89-91 mph and touches 94 without much life, but he locates it effectively to both sides of the plate. His best secondary pitch is an average, 76-80 mph that mirrors his fastball. He occasionally alters his grip to make it a split-change at 82-83 with similar action to give hitters another pitch to think about. Ogasawara primarily throws his fastball and changeup, but he’ll mix in a fringy slider and a looping, low-70s curveball with decent depth to keep hitters off balance. He holds runners extremely well and controls the pace and tempo of the game. Ogasawara relies on inducing weak contact rather than swings and misses and his stuff leaves him little margin for error, but he has plus control to effectively work the edges of the strike zone.

The Future: Ogasawara projects to be a No. 5 starter who relies on commanding and mixing his pitches. He could also slot into a swingman or middle relief role if his stuff fails to play multiple times through the order.

Scouting Grades: FB: 45 | CB: 40 | SL: 45 | CH: 50 | CTL: 60

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Koyo Aoyagi, RHP

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Born: Dec. 11, 1993. B-T: L-R. HT: 5-11. WT: 205.

Track Record: Aoyagi starred as one of Japan’s top college pitchers at Teikyo University and made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut a year after being drafted by Hanshin. With his sidearm delivery, he quickly became one of Japan’s most recognizable pitchers. Aoyagi went 61-47, 3.08 ERA over nine seasons in Hanshin’s rotation, became a three-time All-Star and won a gold medal pitching for Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He went 2-3, 3.69 with 35 strikeouts and 21 walks in 61 innings for Hanshin in 2024 and was posted after the season.

Scouting Report: Aoyagi is a side-arming righthander who relies on deception and movement to make up for a lack of stuff. His fastball sits 87-89 mph as a starter and ticks up to 89-91 in relief. He is able to both sink his fastball or shoot it up out of his low arm slot. Aoyagi’s primary secondary pitch is a fringy, 75-78 mph slider that starts in the middle of the plate before turning to his glove side. His slider is flat and doesn’t have great finish, but he locates it where he can’t get hurt. He also has a well below-average changeup he’ll throw to lefthanded hitters. Aoyagi’s control is fringe-average as a starter, but it’s better in short bursts.

The Future: Aoyagi projects to be a reliever in MLB and will be most effective as a specialist against righthanded batters. His success will depend on how much his stuff ticks up out of the bullpen.

Scouting Grades: FB: 40 | SL: 45 | CH: 30 | CTL: 45