Rintaro Sasaki Agrees with Marlins; Prefers US Over SoftBank

It has been confirmed that Rintaro Sasaki, a Japanese infielder studying at Stanford University in the US, will sign a contract with the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Miami Marlins. The powerful hitter, who is only 21 years old, was selected by the Japanese professional baseball team SoftBank in the first round of the draft last year. However, while there was curiosity about how his career would shape up, the young player chose to stay in the US, pursuing his goal of playing in the major leagues.

Sasaki is a graduate of the same Iwate Hanamaki Higashi High School as Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yusei Kikuchi from the Los Angeles Angels. He managed to make a name for himself in the baseball world with his outstanding performance from a young age; he was trained by his father, Yo Sasaki, who coached the high school's baseball team. Despite being considered a candidate to be selected in the first round of the draft during his final year of high school, he chose not to turn professional immediately and instead pursued a university education in the US.

He continued his development by hitting 7 home runs in his first season at Stanford University and 16 in his second season. In June of this year, he participated in the 'Draft Combine' event, where MLB draft prospects showcase their talents, presenting his powerful hitting ability to the appreciation of the teams.