Why Stanford is Batting Rintaro Sasaki Leadoff, and How the Experiment is Going

Rintaro Sasaki has been Stanford's biggest baseball star on The Farm the past two seasons because of how he landed with the Cardinal. It's not too often you see a player that holds the Japanese high school baseball record with 140 career home runs decide to head to college in the United States to expedite his arrival in Major League Baseball.

You don't see it much because it hadn't happened before Sasaki. Two-way high schooler Shotaro Morii ended up signing with the Athletics as an international free agent, making Sasaki a little bit of a trendsetter.

The other connection that the A's have with Stanford is their current philosophy. When he was blazing hot last season, A's manager Mark Kotsay was putting AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz at the top of the order. He led the team in home runs, despite playing in just 117 games. This is a trend the A's look to be ready to continue in 2026.

Sasaki has also started leading off for the Cardinal of late, and so far the results have been encouraging. But why is he hitting there? Stanford manager David Esquer answered this question after their win over Nevada on Wednesday.

Why is Sasaki leading off?

Mar 1, 2025; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal first baseman Rintaro Sasaki (3) runs to first base after hitting an RBI-double against the Xavier Musketeers during the third inning at Sunken Diamond. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

According to Esquer, the keys to the Stanford offense are Sasaki, Nati and Marsh, and getting those guys going. "It's been a slow start for them, but we're going to need them." Sasaki went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a walk on Wednesday against Nevada, while Jimmy Nati went 3-for-4 with five RBI on a pair of home runs. Marsh went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI at the bottom of the order.

So why have the biggest power threat on the club lead off?

"Not sure. Just trying to mix it up a little bit. You know, just get him more at-bats and just take him out of that middle-of-the-order pressure spot and take a little heat off of him. He's getting on base, walking a lot, and now his average is climbing."

Sasaki has been on a bit of a hot streak, hitting safely in five straight games and seven of his last eight, compiling four multi-hit games over the span, and has reached in eight straight.

How's he faring at the top of the order?

When he began leading off against Nevada on March 2, Sasaki had gone 6-for-35 (.171) on the year with two doubles and a home run. The extra-base abiity was there, but it wasn't quite unlocked yet.

In the five games since, Sasaki has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with another pair of doubles and two homers. Even batting leadoff he has driven in at least one run in each of the five games, six in all. He's also drawn three walks, setting up the rest of the lineup with RBI opportunities, and raised his average on the year to .268 with a .417 OBP.

Last season, Sasaki ended up batting .269 with a .377 on-base and a .790 OPS. This year it's at .988 after a huge turnaround of late. He's also been walking way more this season, sitting at an 18.1% clip entering the weekend (10.6% last year), and is striking out a bit less, too, going from 19.9% in 2025 to 16.7% in 2026.

The switch is certainly working. We've also seen some of the biggest sluggers in Major League Baseball hitting near the top of the order, with Shohei Ohtani (and his speed) seen leading off most days for the Dodgers, while Aaron Judge has slotted second consistently for the Yankees.

Stanford's offense, upcoming series

Mar 1, 2025; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal second baseman Jimmy Nati (6) reacts after hitting a home run against the Xavier Musketeers during the eighth inning at Sunken Diamond. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Stanford offense as a whole has been scoring runs in droves since the change was made, too. In these five games, the Cardinal have totaled 42 runs, good for 8.4 per game. That type of production should keep them in a number of games, and it has.

They're 2-3 during that stretch with two wins against Nevada, while they played No. 15 Wake Forest tough on the road last weekend, despite being swept.

Stanford will be back at home for a weekend series against Pitt. The Panthers are 12-3 on the year, but lost their matchup against Santa Clara on the road on Tuesday in a tight 4-3 game.

A couple of wins for the Cardinal would certainly lift the spirits on The Farm after Pitt's basketball program won a matchup between the schools in the final second of their first-round matchup. The loss appears to have ended Stanford's hopes of making it to the NCAA tournament, so a couple of wins on the baseball side would be nice.

For more comprehensive Stanford coverage, follow us on X, @StanfordOnSI or head on over to our Facebook page and give it a like!