Rintaro Sasaki
| Rintaro Sasaki | |
|---|---|
| Miami Marlins | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: April 18, 2005 Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| Stats at Baseball Reference |
Rintaro Sasaki (リンタロ 佐々木, Sasaki Rintaro; born April 18, 2005) is a Japanese professional baseball first baseman in the Miami Marlins system.
Amateur career
[edit]Sasaki attended Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, and played for the school's baseball team. Sasaki set the Japanese high school record with 140 home runs.[1] He graduated in March 2024.[2]
Sasaki decided to enroll at Stanford University to play college baseball for the Stanford Cardinal rather than enter the Nippon Professional Baseball draft, as he hoped to play in Major League Baseball (MLB).[3] He arrived in time for the spring semester in 2024, but did not join the team for the 2024 season to acclimate to the United States.[4] Sasaki played for the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League in June 2024[5] and for the Greeneville Flyboys of the Appalachian League in July.[6] He debuted with the Cardinal in 2025.[7] Baseball America rated Sasaki as the best freshman in collegiate baseball before the season.[8] He had a .269 batting average with seven home runs and 41 runs batted in in 52 games played for the Cardinal.[9][10] After the 2025 collegiate season, Sasaki played collegiate summer baseball for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[11]
Profesional career
[edit]Sasaki was eligible for the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball draft and the 2026 Major League Baseball draft.[10][12][13] The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Yokohama DeNA BayStars selected him in the first round of the NPB draft, with the Hawks winning his negotiating rights.[14] The Miami Marlins selected Sasaki in the eighth round, with the 235th overall selection, in the 2026 MLB draft.[15]
On July 19, Sasaki announced in a press conference in his hometown of Hanamaki that he would sign with the Marlins.[16] He officially signed the following day, for a $210,200 signing bonus.[17]
Personal life
[edit]Sasaki's father, Hiroshi Sasaki, was his coach in high school.[18] Hiroshi also coached Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi;[4] Kikuchi considers Rintaro to be like a younger brother.[19]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Japanese prospect Rintaro Sasaki to join Thunder in MLB Draft League". June 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Stanford-bound slugger Rintaro Sasaki is first-round MLB talent, coach says". The Japan Times. February 18, 2024.
- ↑ Baggarly, Andrew. "A 19-year-old Stanford phenom is blazing a new trail from Japan to the majors" – via NYTimes.com.
- Jump up to: 1 2 "College baseball's next big thing: Rintaro Sasaki". ESPN.com. April 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Top Japanese prospect Rintaro Sasaki to make stateside debut in MLB Draft League". MLB.com.
- ↑ "LIVE: Watch Japanese teen phenom Sasaki make Appalachian League debut". MLB.com.
- ↑ McCAULEY, JANIE (February 13, 2025). "At Stanford, Japanese prospect Rintaro Sasaki finds home away from home as a college student". AP News.
- ↑ Koch, Geoff (August 17, 2025). "Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'". The Japan Times.
- ↑ "Rintaro Sasaki Amateur & College Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- Jump up to: 1 2 "Baseball: NPB teams able to draft Sasaki of Stanford University this fall". Japan Wire by KYODO NEWS. August 19, 2025.
- ↑ Gunn, Allen. "Sasaki set records in his home country of Japan. Now, he's forging his path to the MLB". Cape Cod Times.
- ↑ Flores Jr, Johnny (2026-07-12). "Rintaro Sasaki, the Japanese high school phenom, reaches career crossroad at MLB Draft". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Grausz, Dylan (2026-05-05). "Stanford Baseball's Top MLB Draft Prospects: Who's On the Board". Stanford Cardinal On SI. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ "Baseball: Hawks win negotiation rights to Stanford's Sasaki". Mainichi Shimbun. October 23, 2025.
- ↑ De Nicola, Christina (2026-07-12). "Marlins draft standout Japanese bat Sasaki out of Stanford". MLB. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Japanese Slugger Rintaro Sasaki to Sign with Marlins; 'I Won't Forget My Samurai Spirit'". The Yomiuri Shimbun. 19 July 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
- ↑ De Nicola, Christina (19 July 2026). "Japanese-born slugging Draftee Sasaki announces plan to sign with Marlins (source)". MLB.com.
- ↑ "Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki blazing his own baseball path in US via Stanford, MLB Draft League". AP News. June 11, 2024.
- ↑ "Kikuchi used to babysit newest Japanese phenom". MLB.com.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)