GLENDALE, Ariz. — A lot of eyes have been on new Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto this spring, and not just when he pitches.
The three-time MVP in Japan does not lift weights as nearly all MLB pitchers do. Javelins are only the most obvious of the tools Yamamoto carries with him to use in his unique daily workouts. There are also wooden blocks, a yoga mat and small, weighted soccer balls that he uses under the supervision of personal trainer Osamu Yada – known as Yada Sensei.
“That was something I started seven years ago as I got into the professional world,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “I needed to do something to develop my mechanics in general.”
Mookie Betts was one of those watching Yamamoto’s unique routine. He was intrigued, so much so that he has started working with Yada Sensei himself for the past week or so. Tyler Glasnow and Walker Buehler are among a handful of pitchers that have also spoken with Yada, who has been hired by the Dodgers as a consultant to the performance staff.
“I dipped my toe in,” Buehler said of trying some of Yada’s drills. “I’m not at Mookie’s level yet.”
Betts said his motivation for giving the workouts a try is simple.
“Greatness. I want to be great,” Betts said matter-of-factly. “It worked for Yamamoto. It’s not like I’m just trying it to try it. It took me two weeks of just watching, going and talking to some family, some friends, some people that mean a lot to me.
“If it’s good enough for him – it’s working for him. I’ve got nine years (left on his contract with the Dodgers). I’ve got to be the best Mookie I can be for nine years. Why wouldn’t I be open to something that I deem as something that will help me be the best I can be for the next nine years?”
One reason Betts thinks Yamamoto’s approach might work for him as well is their similar body types. Yamamoto is listed at 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, Betts 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds.
“It’s very similar,” Betts said. “If he were this big 6-5 guy, that would be completely different. But I’m looking at this guy and I’m pretty much looking at myself. If it’s good enough for him – it got him three MVPs, three Cy Youngs, $300 million, you know what I mean? It’s crazy not to at least look and see what’s going on.”
Pitching coach Mark Prior said “a lot of guys have” talked with Yamamoto and Yada about their workouts.
“Whether it’s us, whether it’s our training staff or whether it’s PD (player development), that’s something that I think is rooted in the culture of our organization – intellectual curiosity,” Prior said. “You want to know, ‘OK, why do you do these things?’ What makes it work for him? Because if it can help one other guy it’s totally worth having.
“Driveline obviously came into a big deal, Texas Baseball Academy, all these other places that have devised unique training devices. OK, what are they doing and why are they doing it? Sticking your head in the sand is not the way to go.”
Betts clearly does not have his head in the sand. But that does not mean he fully understands Yada Sensei’s program, which includes breathing exercises and deliberate body movements.
“I mean, I don’t know exactly what tangible thing you’d be able to see,” said Betts, who doesn’t plan to incorporate any javelin tossing into his workouts.
“It’s so much deeper. I don’t understand all of it, the deepness. He’s kind of teaching me as I go. I asked him, ‘What will I see?’ He said nothing. Everything overall will relax, you’ll calm down.
“When you see Yamamoto throw, there’s no effort. I don’t know. We’ll see if it works.”
SHEEHAN STATUS
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said right-hander Emmet Sheehan will open the season on the Injured List.
Sheehan entered camp as the leading candidate to open the season as the Dodgers’ fifth starter, with Walker Buehler not expected to make his season debut until some time in May. But Sheehan experienced shoulder soreness after throwing two bullpen sessions and was shut down for a week. He has resumed throwing but will not be ready for the start of the season.
Gavin Stone now appears to be the most likely candidate to fill the fifth starter role in April, though Roberts mentions Michael Grove and Ryan Yarbrough as possibilities as well.
WILSON RISING
Counting an inning wiped out by rain Friday night, veteran left-hander Justin Wilson has struck out 10 of the 18 batters he has faced in Cactus League play and Roberts has noticed.
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“Coming back from some injuries, he’s really been a surprise,’” Roberts said.
“Obviously, signing him, we didn’t know what to expect, because he hasn’t pitched competitively for a couple years at the major-league level. So I don’t know his status. I just know that when he gets out there, I get excited watching him throw.”
The 36-year-old Wilson has been in the big leagues for parts of 11 seasons with six teams, but he has not pitched in the majors since April 2022. Wilson had Tommy John surgery in June 2022 and made 10 appearances in the minors last year, then suffered a lat injury as he was warming up for his first game with the Milwaukee Brewers.