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Marlins pick Japanese slugger Sasaki in MLB draft's 8th round
Miami took Rintaro Sasaki in the 8th round, giving the Japanese slugger a third option alongside the Hawks and a return to Stanford. His July 31 deadline to decide is approaching.
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The Miami Marlins selected Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday, adding a third option to his career path. Sasaki, 21, arrived in the U.S. in 2023 as Japan's all-time high school home run leader and has spent the last two seasons at Stanford University, where he hit 16 home runs with 45 walks and 50 strikeouts in 2025.
His college eligibility made him available in both the MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball drafts. In October, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks both selected him with first-round picks. The Hawks won exclusive negotiating rights should Sasaki choose Japan.
He could also return to Stanford for another season.