Rintaro Sasaki
Japanese baseball player (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rintaro Sasaki (born April 18, 2005) is a Japanese baseball first baseman for the Stanford Cardinal of Stanford University.[1]
| Rintaro Sasaki | |
|---|---|
| Stanford Cardinal | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: April 18, 2005 Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| Stats at Baseball Reference |
Career
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.[2] He graduated in March 2024.[3]
Sasaki decided to enroll at Stanford University to play college baseball for the Stanford Cardinal rather than enter the Nippon Professional Baseball draft.[4] 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.[5] Sasaki played for the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League in June 2024[6] and for the Greeneville Flyboys of the Appalachian League in July.[7] He debuted with the Cardinal in 2025.[8] Baseball America rated Sasaki as the best freshman in collegiate baseball before the season.[9] He had a .269 batting average with seven home runs and 41 runs batted in in 52 games played for the Cardinal.[10] After the 2025 collegiate season, Sasaki played collegiate summer baseball for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[11] He was eligible for the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball draft and will be eligible for the 2026 Major League Baseball draft.[10][12][13]
On October 23, 2025, 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]
Sasaki was drafted in the eighth round (235th overall) by the Miami Marlins in the 2026 Major League Baseball draft.[15]
Personal life
Sasaki's father, Hiroshi Sasaki, was his coach in high school.[16] Hiroshi also coached Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi;[5] Kikuchi considers Rintaro to be like a younger brother.[17]