Yoshinobu Yamamoto left quite the first impression on his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates, especially star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who faced the Japanese hurler for the first time at the club's spring training site in Glendale, Ariz. on Saturday morning.
Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with Los Angeles back in December, looked the part of a front-line starter in his first live batting practice, firing some lively fastballs into the mitt of Dodgers catcher Will Smith.
But fans got a true sense of the kind of stuff Yamamoto possesses when he faced off with Freeman, a former National League MVP and career .301 hitter, who came away from the batter's box shaking his head at what he had just seen, and relieved that he doesn't have to face the right-hander often. Freeman told MLB.com that Yamamoto has "crazy stuff."
"That’s some crazy stuff. I’m glad he’s on our team. Control like I’ve never seen," Freeman said.
As seen in this video, courtesy of Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett, Freeman only managed to line Yamamoto's offering foul, one of a couple foul balls induced by the former Orix Buffaloes star against Freeman.
Freddie Freeman v Yoshinobu Yamamoto (it went foul) #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/iTNN60Ur1a
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 17, 2024
Yamamoto has an upper-90s fastball, a knee-buckling curveball and a wipeout splitter, as well as a cutter-slider hybrid, in his arsenal. Judging by Freeman's initial reaction, MLB hitters are going to have a very tough time with Yamamoto in 2024—and beyond.
