HANAMAKI, Japan - Stanford University slugger Rintaro Sasaki announced Sunday that he will begin his professional baseball career with the Miami Marlins, turning down an offer from the SoftBank Hawks after being selected by both clubs in their respective drafts.
"I want to live a life where I choose to challenge myself or not, rather than focusing on whether I succeed or fail," Sasaki said during a press conference in Hanamaki in his home prefecture of Iwate.
The 21-year-old infielder was selected as the first pick by the Hawks in the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball draft, but was then chosen by the Marlins in the eighth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft, held earlier this month.
"The desire to challenge myself in the United States prevailed," Sasaki said. "I'm ready to fight my way up from the minors, no matter how long it takes."
Drafted 235th overall by Miami, Sasaki had three options -- joining the MLB franchise, playing professionally in Japan or remaining at Stanford.
The Stanford sophomore faced a July 27 deadline to sign with the Marlins, while that for an agreement with the Hawks in Japan's Pacific League was also approaching at the end of the month.
He expressed appreciation to SoftBank, saying he had nothing but gratitude" for the Fukuoka-based club, which sent officials to watch him play in the United States.
Sasaki has been widely regarded as the all-time home run leader in Japanese high school baseball history, hitting 140 homers while playing for Hanamaki Higashi High School.
Viewed as a top prospect in the 2023 NPB draft, Sasaki opted not to file his professional registration and instead entered Stanford the following year.
This season, his second in the United States, he batted .262 with 16 home runs in 54 games.
His father, Hiroshi Sasaki, is the manager of Hanamaki Higashi and coached both Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
