Rintaro Sasaki Looks to Pave New Path for Japanese Players to MLB
Summary
Rintaro Sasaki, a top Japanese high school baseball player, chose to attend Stanford University before entering Major League Baseball (MLB). In 2024, the Miami Marlins drafted him in the eighth round, and Sasaki plans to sign with them, breaking the usual pattern of Japanese players staying in Japan’s professional league.Key Facts
- Rintaro Sasaki was a highly regarded high school baseball player in Japan and set a national home run record with 140.
- He joined Stanford University’s baseball team in 2024 but did not play games his first season.
- Sasaki hit .265 with 23 home runs and 88 RBIs over two seasons at Stanford.
- He was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round of the 2024 MLB amateur draft.
- Previously, Sasaki had been selected by Japan’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in their professional league draft.
- Sasaki will sign with the Marlins, becoming one of the few Japanese players to choose MLB over signing immediately with a Japanese team.
- By attending college and adapting to baseball in the U.S. beforehand, Sasaki took an uncommon path for Japanese players aiming for MLB.
- He could be the third Japanese-born player to play for the Miami Marlins, after Junichi Tazawa and Ichiro Suzuki.
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