Experts Anticipating Huge Year, Prestigious Honors for a Pair of Top MLB Prospects

In the National League, the projected winner was Roki Sasaki, who brings four years of experience and a 100 mph fastball to the major leagues. Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason, the 23-year-old Sasaki has four years of experience in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball but qualifies as an MLB rookie.

He is the No. 1 prospect in baseball, as ranked by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.

With the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki was 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA in 64 games. He struck out 505 batters in 394.2 innings.

He started turning heads in the United States in April 2022, when he threw a perfect game in Japan, striking out 19. A week later, in his next start, he followed that performance with eight perfect innings, pulled from the outing after throwing 102 pitches.

Here’s what MLB Pipeline had to say about Sasaki and his Rookie of the Year chances:

“Because of an absolutely filthy repertoire that includes a triple-digit fastball and world-class splitter, not to mention the show Sasaki put on in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the buzz around him has been on another level -- which is why he was the runaway winner here.”

Also receiving votes: Dylan Crews (Washington Nationals), Matt Shaw (Chicago Cubs), Drake Baldwin and AJ Smith-Shawver (Atlanta Braves), Bubba Chandler (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Dalton Rushing (Dodgers).

In the American League, right-hander Jackson Jobe of the Detroit Tigers got the nod. Manager A.J. Hinch named him to the starting rotation this weekend. The 22-year-old was selected by the Tigers with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school in Oklahoma City.

Baseball America ranks him as the No. 3 prospect. He is No. 5 from MLB Pipeline.

From MLB Pipeline about Jobe:

“He held MLB hitters to an .071 average during his brief callup last season and has pitched to a 3.65 ERA this spring. Anything approaching those numbers in the 2025 regular season would put him well on his way to capturing this award.”

Others receiving votes were Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony (Boston Red Sox), Jasson Dominguez (New York Yankees), Jacob Wilson (Athletics), Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals), Colson Montgomery (Chicago White Sox), Kumar Rocker (Texas Rangers), Cam Smith (Houston Astros), and Coby Mayo and Tomoyuki Sugano (Baltimore Orioles).

It will be fun to watch the entire rookie crop throughout the upcoming season. Fans already have gotten a glimpse of what Sasaki can do. He made his MLB debut last Wednesday in the Tokyo Series against the Cubs, pitching three innings. He gave up one run on one hit, five walks and three strikeouts.

Jobe and the Tigers open the season Thursday against the World Series-winning Dodgers in Los Angeles.