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Stanford freshman Rintaro Sasaki made his long-awaited college debut this weekend when the Cardinal took on Cal State Fullerton. He shined in his first three games, recording a team-high eight RBIs.
That performance helped Stanford get off to a quick 3-0 start in the 2025 campaign. Sasaki appears on his way to stardom.
The Japanese phenom had an opportunity to turn pro as a teenager but spurned the Nippon Professional League in order to attend college. In doing so, he’s put himself on the fast track to the MLB.
Sasaki will spend his summer in the MLB Draft League, with plans to play for Trenton through mid-July. The move to the US could help speed up his Major League eligibility.
Rather than having to wait the typical nine years to become an international free agent, the 19-year-old can now become draft eligible after his sophomore year at Stanford.
Sasaki played in the US over the summer as a way of getting acclimated before joining the Stanford lineup. He shined with his MLB Draft League affiliate and even homered in his first game.
After hitting a national-record 140 high school homers in Japan, Rintaro Sasaki has his first stateside dinger!
The @TrentonThunder cleanup hitter drills a two-run shot in his @mlbdraftleague debut.
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/etpWW5CY5M pic.twitter.com/bsH8lEL01r
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 12, 2024
In Japan, Rintaro Sasaki attended the same high school as Shohei Ohtani. He set home run records with the program after launching 140 bombs as an amateur.
He made his Stanford debut over the weekend. While he didn’t homer, he did put up big-time numbers across his first three outings.
In 14 at-bats, he scored three runs, hit two doubles, and recorded a walk while batting .429. He currently leads the team in RBIs, four of which came in his very first game.
T7 » 🌲 12, 🐘 1@rintarosasaki drives in his third and fourth runs of the game as Stanford chases another Titan pitcher.
Third three-plus run inning of the day for the Cardinal!
📺 » ESPN+ | #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/sRxos4aFFS
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) February 16, 2025
Rintaro Sasaki has recorded an RBI in every college game he’s played. He’s made an instant impact at Stanford, which is only expected to continue in his freshman season.
The 275-pound slugger spurned pro ball to play in the United States. At this point, that seems like the right move. He could be a top MLB prospect when eligible in 2026.