Rintaro Sasaki Chooses Miami Marlins Over Japan and Stanford

Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki announced that he will forgo a professional career in Japan and sign a minor-league contract with the Miami Marlins, who selected him in the eighth round of the amateur draft. The move follows his earlier selection in the first round of the Nippon Professional Baseball draft by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Sasaki explained his priority: “My dream is always going to be how I’m going to make it to the big leagues as soon as possible” “My dream is always going to be how I'm going to make it to the big leagues as soon as possible,” — Rintaro Sasaki.

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Sasaki entered the United States after a standout high-school career in Japan, where he set the all-time high-school home-run record with 140. He played two seasons at Stanford, hitting .262 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs as a sophomore. He trained under Toru Ohtani, father of MLB star Shohei Ohtani. Reflecting on his choice, Sasaki said, “I went back and forth on this decision until the very end” “I went back and forth on this decision until the very end,” — Rintaro Sasaki, adding that he does not know the ultimate outcome of his path “I don't know what the result will be,” — Rintaro Sasaki.

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The Marlins’ offer includes a $210,200 signing bonus, which is below the $239,200 slot value assigned to the 235th overall pick. The contract positions Sasaki as a first-baseman in the organization’s minor-league system, with the expectation that the accelerated route will bring him to the major-league roster more quickly than the traditional Japanese pipeline.

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Sasaki, who learned English only a few years ago, expects his college experience to aid his transition to professional life in Miami. The player hopes that adapting to American culture and language will help him succeed on the field and integrate into his new team and city.

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