Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki back to 100 mph thanks to curated strength program (and Justin Bieber)

PHOENIX — When Dodgers strength coach Travis Smith first began working with Roki Sasaki at the start of last season, he quickly learned the phenom pitcher had a specific preference in the gym.

“He doesn’t like loud music,” Smith recalled with a laugh in a recent interview with The California Post.

So, in an effort to make the young Japanese hurler feel comfortable in his foreign surroundings, Smith came up with a new playlist for each of their training sessions together.

“I put on some Bounty and Mr. Children,” Smith said, referencing Japanese pop groups that Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto had told him about.

“And then, Justin Bieber,” Smith added with a chuckle. “He wanted a little Justin Bieber.”

Over the last year and a half, that has been the soundtrack to Sasaki’s striking transformation.

A little J-Pop. A little Biebs. And a new training regimen that — in the midst of Sasaki’s best stretch as an MLB starter — is helping the 24-year-old finally flourish again.

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“He’s grown up a lot,” manager Dave Roberts said last week, after Sasaki struck out seven batters against the Phillies, completed a breakout month of May with a 3.18 ERA and most importantly rediscovered 100 mph life on his fastball for the first time all season. 

“Even just by the eye,” Roberts added, “he’s much more physical.”

That wasn’t the case when Sasaki signed with the Dodgers, arriving as an otherworldly arm talent in need of a better physical foundation. 

Ever since he was a teenager, the right-hander had been gifted with a triple-digit heater. But last year, the holes in his physique became clear as his velocity plummeted while battling an early-season shoulder injury.

“He’s an extremely coordinated individual,” Smith said. “But the limiting factor for him was strength.”

Thus, the team enacted a plan for its newest Japanese import, curating an individualized workout program to go along with his tailored musical playlist.

“When he first came, he showed us, ‘This is my program, this is what I’ve been doing,’” Smith said. “But I think just giving him specifically what he needs and catering it toward him [was the biggest difference]. A lot of strength programs, it’s very cookie-cutter. They’re not getting very specific. So we had the ability to do that. I think that was the biggest thing.”

Buy-in came gradually from the quiet, guarded Sasaki.

Throughout that first spring training, Smith could sense a hesitancy from the slender 6-foot-2 prospect. It took time, he noted, for Sasaki to begin “understanding that he can push load and not be sore, that it won’t affect his [pitching] technique or anything like that.”

In some ways, that made Sasaki’s four-month stint on the injured list last year a blessing in disguise.

During that time, Smith put him through what was effectively a full offseason workout program, designing four- to six-week phases that focused on everything from lower-body strength to shoulder stabilization.

“The biggest thing was consistency, getting him to buy into the process and be consistent and do it day after day,” Smith said. “Getting him to understand that this is helping his performance, I think that was huge.”

Indeed, the results were evident when Sasaki returned as the team’s postseason closer last October. His fastball was back up to 100. His confidence in attacking hitters no longer wavered.

Coming into this season, it made Sasaki’s work with the strength staff more seamless.

Though Sasaki is listed at 187 pounds, Smith said he is now weighs in around 205.

“He has spent a ton of time with Travis, just rebuilding his body and his strength component,” pitching coach Mark Prior said. “You’re seeing some of that stuff really starting to pay off.”

The dividends this year, of course, still took time to fully realize.

For the first month of the season, Sasaki battled mechanical inconsistencies in his complex delivery, leading to struggles with command and a fastball that dipped back down to the 96-97 mph range.

Over the last several weeks, however, Sasaki’s pitching technique has started to sync back up. He’s pounding the zone once more. He has incorporated a new slider and splitter to keep opponents off balance.

Then came last week, when he unleashed a 100 mph four-seamer against Kyle Schwarber in his first at-bat of the game, en route to averaging a season-best 98.5 mph with the pitch.

Afterward, even he said he was surprised by how suddenly his velocity had jumped.

“I made small adjustments over the last week, and there were parts that improved, so I thought it would go up,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “But I didn’t think it would go up so much at once.”

That, Dodgers officials believe, is a reflection of the improvements Sasaki has made behind the scenes.

Now that his throw is back where he wants it, it’s allowing his improved physical strength to amplify his stuff.

“He has a foundation now,” Smith said, “and he understands how to use it.”

“He doesn’t need to search for velocity or chase velocity,” Roberts added. “So he’s in a really good spot.”

This isn’t the end goal for Sasaki, who still has a 4.59 ERA this season.

His work with Smith and the team’s strength staff remains ongoing, keeping the pop-music playlist on repeat in the gym.

“He’s coming into himself,” Smith said, “and being a little bit more relaxed than before.”