Rintaro Sasaki Announces Decision After Marlins Select Him in MLB Draft
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Rintaro Sasak has announced that he will be starting his professional baseball career now.
The Stanford product, who was selected in the eighth round by the Miami Marlins, told reporters in his native Hanamaki City in Japan that he will sign with the Marlins, giving the organization one of the most fascinating power bats from the 2026 MLB draft class.
The Yakyu Cosmopolitan was among the Japanese outlets that reported the signing. The Marlins have not made an official announcement and the MLB Draft tracker has not show that he has signed. He has until July 27 to sign his bonus deal, which has a slot value of $239,000.
Rintaro Sasaki's Decision
There was always more intrigue attached to him than his draft slot suggested. Sasaki was not a typical college bat. Before he ever arrived at Stanford, he had already become one of the most famous amateur players in Japan because of his historic power production.
Sasaki set the Japanese high school record with 140 career home runs, a number that made him a major name long before he was draft eligible in the United States. Usually high school players of that caliber skip college altogether, but Sasaki chose a different path.
Instead of immediately entering the Nippon Professional Baseball system, he moved to the United States and played at Stanford, giving himself a more direct route toward his Major League goal.
It took time for Sasaki to acclimate to a whole new environment, but once he did, his numbers skyrocketed. After hitting seven home runs with a .790 OPS in his first season at Stanford, Sasaki took a clear step forward in 2026, hitting 16 home runs with a .952 OPS while nearly matching his walk total to his strikeout total.
Sasaki Brings Miami Rare Left-Handed Power
The power is the first thing that jumps off the page with Sasaki. It is the reason he became such a big name in Japan, and it remains the biggest reason his signing is so intriguing for the Marlins. At the MLB draft combine, he showed that the raw power is not just based on reputation, launching a 458-foot home run and producing a max exit velocity of 115.4 mph.
That number gives his power a real Major League frame of reference. Since Statcast began tracking batted-ball data in 2015, several established stars have not reached that mark. Freddie Freeman’s highest listed max exit velocity is 114.6 mph, Mookie Betts has topped out at 114.7 mph and Paul Goldschmidt has reached 114.0 mph.
That does not mean Sasaki is a hitter of that caliber, but it does show that his top-end bat speed already belongs in a Major League power conversation. The question for Miami is not whether the raw power exists. It is whether Sasaki can get to it consistently enough against professional pitching.
Sasaki’s decision to sign with the Marlins turns a fun draft day story into a real addition. If the power continues to translate, Miami may have found one of the steals of the draft.
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Wesley Dixon is a sports writer focused on thoughtful analysis, roster-building angles, player development and feature-style storytelling. He has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA, with work centered on breaking down team direction, player fit and the larger stories behind the game. Wesley is a lifelong MLB fan, following multiple teams throughout the league. He is excited to bring that same detail-oriented approach to On SI.