Mike Salas
I have been following Yoshinobu Yamamoto for about a year now. I have seen him pitch in the NPB and was one of the first to write that he would be a Dodger. 25-year-old Yamamoto’s stats were impressive when he was pitching in the NPB, five all-star selections, 2 no-hitters, 3 consecutive triple crowns, 3 Sawamura awards, 2 MVPs, and had a 42-inning scoreless streak. Yamamoto’s pitch mix is suited for the MLB, four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, forkball, curveball, cutter, slider, and a devasting splitter.
After watching Yoshinobu pitch his first three games in the Dodgers 2024 Spring Training, I have a few thoughts. Yamamoto seems to be a little uncomfortable, his pitch placement and strike zone precision is off.
A couple of observations from me: Yoshinobu is still getting in sync with Barnes and how he calls a game, and he is not making the adjustments needed after the batters get to see his pitches. After yesterday’s game, during the press conference, Yamamoto did not seem that affected by his performance in his first games. He stated that he is still making some adjustments, and his preparation for games is the same as when he was in the NPB.
My thoughts are that Yoshinobu will come out in Korea and show Dodger fans who the real Yoshinobu Yamamoto is. His consistent strike zone placement will be back, and he will be able to get into the rhythm he is used to. I am not worried about Yamamoto; I am confident he will be the pitcher I wrote about months before signing with the Dodgers.
For DodgersBeat, I’m Mike Salas
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