Yoshinobu Yamamoto Impresses Dodgers' Teammates After Facing Them in Live Batting Practice

The rookie right-hander came ready to go today!

Dodgers rookie right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto faced off against some of the better hitters on Los Angeles's roster during live batting practice earlier today. It was the first time that any of them had faced Yamamoto, and they came away quite impressed.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had Freddie Freeman and the rest of his Dodgers teammates in awe following his first time pitching against live BP at Dodgers spring training!🔥

🎥: @billplunkettocr @juanctoribio @fullcountmlbc2 pic.twitter.com/TRfcwKwOQv

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) February 17, 2024

He faced Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, among others. Freeman had some high praise for the right-hander, calling him "nasty" on the mound. 

That was incredible. Nasty. … To go out there, first time, all eyes on you and just dot every pitch? Very impressive “

Freeman: “That was incredible. Nasty. … To go out there, first time, all eyes on you and just dot every pitch? Very impressive “

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 17, 2024

Betts gave him a standing ovation after they faced off, which is a massive sign of respect from a talented hitter like that. He is probably happy that he won't have to face him in a real game going forward.

#Dodgers Yamamoto is done with live BP. Mookie Betts gave him a standing O.

— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) February 17, 2024

Yamamoto is expected to headline the Dodgers rotation for years to come, and this is a great start. He is generally seen by many as the best pitcher to come over from Japan, and so far, he is living up to all of the hype. 

Along with Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto has created massive media attention in Los Angeles during Spring Training. People want to see what all of the excitement is about, and Yamamoto has done his part in keeping it alive.

The Dodgers rotation looks extremely lethal, but there is still work to be done. Yamamoto may take some time to learn the MLB game, but his skill set should allow for an easy transition.