Marlins draft standout Japanese bat Sasaki out of Stanford
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MIAMI -- The Marlins selected Japanese-born Rintaro Sasaki in the eighth round (235th overall) of the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday afternoon.
Sasaki, who spent the past two years playing at Stanford, arrived stateside in 2023 as Japan’s all-time high school home run leader. In his first season with the Cardinal, Sasaki hit seven homers and posted a .790 OPS. Those numbers improved with more comfortability in 2025, crushing 16 homers and recording a .952 OPS with nearly as many walks (45) as strikeouts (50).
During the MLB Draft Combine in June, Sasaki turned heads with an impressive batting practice showcase that featured a 458-foot homer and some of the highest exit velocities (max 115.4 mph) at the event.
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More on the Marlins' 2026 Draft:
- Marlins use No. 14 pick to draft latest standout from Lombard baseball family
- Breaking down Miami's 2026 Draft picks
- Marlins Draft tracker
As a kid, Sasaki played for superstar Shohei Ohtani’s father, Toru, during his “Little Senior” days, the next step up from traditional Little League before players enter the competitive high school ranks. Ohtani, meanwhile, played for Sasaki’s father, Hiroshi, at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate, Japan.
The 21-year-old Sasaki now faces a big decision: Both the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks selected him with their first-round pick last October, before Fukuoka won exclusive negotiating rights should Sasaki choose to return to Japan and play in Nippon Professional Baseball.