Rintaro Sasaki’s future already has a destiny. The 21-year-old Japanese first baseman decided to make the leap to professional baseball in the United States by signing with the Miami Marlins, after being selected in the eighth round (235th overall) of the MLB Amateur Draft.
Sasaki faced an important decision to define the direction of his career. He had three options on the table: return to Stanford University to continue his development, join the NPB SoftBank Falcons—the team that chose him in the first round of the Japanese draft last October—or accept Miami’s offer to begin his path to the Major Leagues.
Finally, the desire to compete at the highest level of American baseball tipped the balance. The native of Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, reached an agreement with the Marlins for a signing bonus of $210,200, a figure slightly lower than the recommended value of $239,200 corresponding to the 235th pick in the draft.
With his signing, Sasaki begins a new stage in the Miami minor league system, where he will seek to develop his talent and fulfill the goal of becoming the next Japanese player to reach the Major Leagues.
