The Los Angeles Dodgers are already 3-0 on the young MLB season. They dominated the Tokyo Series against the Cubs and got to Tarik Skubal on Opening Day. After a World Series win and dominant offseason, many people are picking them to repeat as champions. ESPN surveyed anonymous people across baseball, asking who the next superstar will be. The voters see a superstar in new Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki.

“That splitter [of Sasaki's] is going to confuse a lot of hitters,” an AL scout told Jesse Rogers. A National League executive said, “There are no sure thing breakout candidates in our game, but at least until they see him a few times, I'd give the nod to Sasaki.”

The Dodgers rookie picked up five of the 12 votes Rogers doled out. Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill landed two votes while Wyatt Langford, Matt Wallner, and Jackson Holliday all got one. Sasaki met with many teams during his free agency this winter but landed with the Dodgers, further cementing their place at the top of the league.

Sasaki has already made his MLB debut, throwing three innings in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series. The Dodgers won the game 6-3, but the rookie only went three innings, issuing five walks.

Roki Sasaki has massive expectations for high-flying Dodgers

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The Dodgers also added Blake Snell to their rotation this offseason. Tyler Glasnow is back from injury, Clayton Kershaw is back on a one-year deal, and Shohei Ohtani should pitch this year. The rotation is stacked and Sasaki should slot in near the top. With expectations this high, eyes would be on him regardless of the team. But on a superteam like the Dodgers, he must perform.

His performance won't make or break the Dodgers' regular season. They won the NL West comfortably last year without him and are favored to do the same again. Growing pains are to be expected, just like what Yoshinobu Yamamoto went through last year. But if he shines right away, he could become the star many are expecting.

This survey shows how much young talent there is in Major League Baseball. Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, and any selection of Cincinnati Reds prospects could have been named. But Sasaki was the runaway winner, only turning up the hype machine ahead of his rookie season. Can he live up to these expectations in a loaded National League?