3 major talking points after Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Dodgers debut

The MLB universe is buzzing, as highly touted Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his Spring Training debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 25-year-old starter looked electric in his first exhibition game in the MLB, shutting down the Texas Rangers over his two innings of work.

The Japanese superstar pitcher threw only 19 pitches over his 2.0 innings of work, allowing only one hit in the process. It's safe to say that over his limited sample size, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has more than lived up to the hype. Although it is only Spring Training, there was plenty to take away from his Dodgers debut.

3 major talking points following Yoshinobu Yamamoto's debut with the Dodgers

#1 - His Splitter looks legit

The Los Angeles Dodgers' prized free agent signing was electric during his Spring Training debut. The young pitcher was lighting up the radar gun with his Fastball, with his power pitch reaching 96 mph. While that is impressive enough, it was his nasty use of his Splitter that looked special.

"Goodness that Yamamoto Splitter is nasty" - @StoolBaseball

The off-speed pitch will be something to watch this season, ask Texas Rangers slugger Nathaniel Lowe, who struck out swinging on the pitch. Keep an eye on this pitch and how opposing teams adjust.

#2 - The Dodgers might not need Shohei Ohtani to pitch

If Yamamoto's two-inning debut was legit, this could bode well for manager Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not only could Yoshinobu Yamamoto become a superstar on the mound, but it will ease the absence of Shohei Ohtani on the pitcher's mound.

A two-way sensation, Shohei Ohtani is not expected to pitch at all this season as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery. If Yamamoto can continue to pitch near this level into the regular season, the Dodgers might miss a season of Ohtani not pitching.

#3 - Yamamoto attacks the zone

It would be perfectly understandable if Yoshinobu Yamamoto was nervous in his MLB debut. If he was, he would likely have been timid when attacking the strikezone and the Texas Rangers batters. This turned out not to be the case as 16 of Yamamoto's 19 pitches were called for strikes. The young pitcher is clearly mentally ready for his first big league season.

"Excellent start for Yamamoto — now 3 Ks, has faced the minimum of six batters in two innings, showcased the fastball, splitter and curveball, 19 pitches, 16 strikes." - @DodgerInsider