Who is Rintaro Sasaki? Everything you need to know about Japanese prospect reportedly coming to play in America

The level of global talent coming to the United States to play baseball continues to grow, this time is it slugger Rintaro Sasaki. The hard-hitting Japanese first baseman is the number one ranked high school player in the country, and will reportedly forego the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft to make the jump to the USA.

"Japan's No. 1 high school prospect, Rintaro Sasaki, is skipping the NPB Draft and coming straight to the US. The 6'0" 250 lb. 1B set the record for most career high school HR (138). He is rumored to be heading to Vanderbilt," a post on X by user @FarmToFame_ read.

Although there is no indication where he will play next season, there are rumors that Rintaro Sasaki may look to join Vanderbilt University. One of the top baseball schools in the nation, if Sasaki were to enroll at Vanderbilt, it would not only be massive for the University but for future MLB Draft classes.

At 6 feet tall and weighing in at 250 lbs, Sasaki is a physical specimen, who will only continue to grow stronger as he ages. The 17-year-old slugger set the record for the most home runs hit in high school by launching an astounding 138 total long balls.

Although his power suggests that 30+ home runs should be no issue for the first baseman, the uncertainty surrounding his ability to minor league pitching currently has scouts projecting him as a third-round draft pick.

A student of Hanamaki-Higashi High School, Sasaki is following in the footsteps of another alum of the same school, Shohei Ohtani. Although it is irresponsible to compare anyone to the likely two-time MVP, the fact that Sasaki is moving to the United States at such a young age means he will have more time to adjust to the amateur pitchers inside North America.

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Rintaro Sasaki's decision to skip the NPB Draft will speed up his road to the MLB

Sasaki is entering uncharted waters. While there have been a plethora of successful Japanese players who have made a living in the MLB, such as Masahiro Tanaka and Hideki Matsui, formerly of the New York Yankees, Sasaki will take an alternative route.

According to MLB Insider Jeff Passan, Sasaki's decision to forego the NPB in favor of playing college baseball will cut down the time he will need to wait before becoming MLB eligible. Instead of waiting until 2030 to be posted by a Japanese club, Rintaro Sasaki will be first eligible for the MLB Draft in 2027.