Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki, the country's all-time high school home run leader, is preparing to enter the 2026 MLB Draft this weekend after two seasons at Stanford.
Sasaki arrived in the United States in September 2023 and immediately visited Oracle Park in San Francisco. He has since adjusted to college baseball and American culture while maintaining strong power numbers.
In his freshman year at Stanford, Sasaki hit seven home runs with a .790 OPS. This past spring he improved to 16 home runs and 47 RBIs in 54 games, posting a .952 OPS.
The 2026 MLB Draft is scheduled to begin on Saturday, July 11, with the first round on NBC and Peacock. Sasaki is viewed as a potential top selection and has drawn comparisons to Shohei Ohtani due to family connections in Japanese baseball.
Sasaki has said he found a direct path to professional baseball through the college route and hopes it opens doors for other Japanese players.