He has already set the high school home run record in his home country of Japan. Ordinarily, this would put him on the fast track to Nippon Professional Baseball, the premier baseball league of Japan and likely all of Asia. However, Rintaro Sasaki is deciding on a novel route. Rather than using NPB as a potential stepping stone for a major league career, the young phenom plans on taking his talents to the United States to play college baseball. Here is a profile of Rintaro Sasaki’s early career and a look at how his future could shake out.
Rintaro Sasaki Profile
A Rising Star
Sasaki, a first baseman, stands at an even six feet and weighs 250 pounds. He recently completed his playing career at Hanamaki-Higashi High School, which is notably the alma mater of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. In his four seasons there, Sasaki slugged 140 home runs, a new record for Japanese high schoolers. This easily eclipsed the previous high of 111, set by current NPB slugger Kotaro Kiyomiya.
Japan’s No. 1 high school prospect, Rintaro Sasaki, is skipping the NPB Draft and coming straight to the US
The 6’0″ 250 lb. 1B set the record for most career high school HR (138)
He is rumored to be heading to Vanderbiltpic.twitter.com/QwWduJgunD
— Farm To Fame (@FarmToFame_) October 10, 2023
Sasaki’s main attribute is his powerful bat. On the 20-80 scouting scale, his raw power rates at an eye-popping 70. According to Peter Flaherty of Baseball America, he possesses a quick, accurate swing with “a knack for consistently finding the barrel.” Sasaki also has a good eye, with twice as many walks as strikeouts. Defensively, despite being “limited to first base,” per Flaherty, he fields the position well.
A Bright Future
While Japan has produced several successful major leaguers, only a select few have carved out a reputation as a slugger. The two biggest names to do so are Ohtani (although, needless to say, he can do much more than just hit for power) and Hideki Matsui, who blazed the trail in that department. If Sasaki eventually becomes a successful power hitter in the majors, it could mark a sea change in which types of players from Japan are pursued by major league clubs. Rather than elite pitching and contact hitting, a new international market for power bats could open up. Ohtani has done his fair share in that department already, but Sasaki becoming a star in the US might accelerate the trend.
Instead of entering the NPB draft, where he would be considered the top prospect, Sasaki is doing something unprecedented for a Japanese player: attending an American university with the goal of eventually going high in the MLB Draft. As a result, he is already a top recruiting target for Division I schools.
Sasaki’s decision to play college ball in the US would expedite his path to the majors. If Sasaki decided to go pro in Japan first, his road to MLB through the posting system would take at least a few extra years. Even with multiple years of both college and minor league baseball, Sasaki’s path to the majors would likely be significantly shorter than if he started in Japan’s baseball system. While it isn’t yet clear where he will attend college, Vanderbilt University is reportedly one of the schools near the top of his list.
A Potential Trailblazer
Fans everywhere should be keeping an eye on Rintaro Sasaki’s trajectory. If all goes as planned, he would become the first Japanese high schooler to transition to an American university and then the majors. Not only that, he would add to the rare class of Japanese ballplayers to come to the majors and establish a reputation mainly as a power threat. This would help make an already dynamic baseball culture and market even more so.
Photo Credit: © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
