Japanese High School Phenom Makes Unprecedented Decision to Come to US For College

Japanese baseball prospect Rintaro Sasaki has made the decision to attend college in the United States, spurning the NPB in an effort to the Major Leagues quicker.

Japanese high school baseball phenom Rintaro Sasaki has made the unprecedented decision to forego playing in Japan's top pro league in order to come to the United States for college.

This allows him to get drafted by a Major League team several years earlier.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN had the original story on his decision - and on his skillset.

News: the top prospect for this year's NPB draft, a slugging 1B with the all-time Japanese HS HR record, has spurned the Japanese pro league to go to an American college. Why his NIL path is very complicated, scouting grades, and his draft outlook:

Sasaki is the consensus top prospect among graduating Japanese high school players and was the presumed favorite to be picked first in the upcoming NPB draft, until he made this decision.

The 6-foot, 250-pound first baseman attends Hanamaki-Higashi High School, playing for his father, Hiroshi. Shohei Ohtani also played at that high school.

There is no precedent for a top Japanese high school prospect coming to an American college and entering the Major League Baseball draft. Although Sasaki's leaning and scheduled recruiting visits are unclear, industry chatter and a Japanese report have pegged Vanderbilt as an early leader.

Sasaki has the Japanese high school home run record as well.

Jeff Passan of ESPN had more on the decision:

No elite prospect has ever done what 17-year-old Rintaro Sasaki is doing: skipping the NPB draft and coming to the U.S. to play college ball. Instead of waiting to get posted to an MLB team sometime in the 2030s, Sasaki will be draft-eligible in 2027. More details, free at ESPN.