With the MLB Playoffs underway, international baseball news was far from what I expected to hear today. But, we have news coming out of the country of Japan, as high school phenom Rintaro Sasaki will be coming to the USA to play baseball.

Rintaro Sasaki, the projected #1 overall selection in the NPB Draft did not submit his name for the draft, but instead plans to come to the USA , where he is rumored to play at Vanderbilt University. This came as a major surprise to many people involved in both industries, as the path for Japanese stars is typically through the posting system, but this path for Sasaki is one that isn’t usually seen.

Sasaki currently plays for Hanamaki-Higashi High School, which is the same school Shohei Ohtani attended and played for. The 6-foot, 250 pound first baseman posseses arguably the best power potential we’ve ever seen from the country of Japan. At just 17 years old, he hit a record 140* home runs during his high school career, which is a number that seems like it came straight out of a video game. He also slashed .413/.514/.808, which is just a fantastic set of numbers to look at. The only counter argument to how his talents will translate to the USA is that Sasaki currently faces about 80 MPH consistently, so some people are unsure about how he’ll preform against the best young pitchers in the USA, who often times touch the high 90s. Given this, scouts currently see him a 3rd round prospect right now, but with the potential to go as high as number 1 overall.

For those of you in the states who are familiar with the college baseball landscape, its likely not a surprise to see that Vanderbilt was the rumored landing place of the phenom. Vanderbilt is the powerhouse of college baseball, as they currently have produced 19 first-round picks, as well as 5 College World Series titles. Along with their astounding number of professional players, Sasaki hopes to be the next of this bunch.

The most interesting thing about this move is not just the fact that Sasaki will be able to avoid the typical path to the MLB through the posting system, but he will also be able to be selected during the MLB Draft. With his bat already beyond developed, he will likely be a lock to have a chance to go number 1 overall in the MLB Draft if he continues to develop.

One more intriguing thing with this move by Sasaki is the fact that he will not be able to receive NIL money, which makes this move even more interesting from a financial standpoint. If Sasaki had taken the NPB Draft route, he would be limited to about $900,000, in his signing bonus. But, through the MLB Draft, he could make a lot more. Granted the record signing bonus was given to Paul Skenes, a generational pitching talent was $9.2 million, Sasaki could earn upwards of $7 million if he was drafted within the top 5 selections. Depending on how his college career plays out, he can still have a massive payday. There are loopholes to how Sasaki could participate in NIL deals, but it’s still no guarantee, which makes it better to assume it isn’t a possibility. But, it will likely be through an MLB team, no outside money made, and he’ll have to wait a few years.

The most recent player to take this path was Rikuu Nishida. Nishida finished his high school career in Japan, and then came to the states where he’d play at the JUCO level before heading to Oregon University. He was then selected during the 2023 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round, and has since played in the Minor Leagues for the White Sox.

When it comes to a tool perspective, Sasaki’s power is very clearly a 70+ on the 20-80 scale used by most resources, as well as his overall bat-to-ball skills ranging in the 65-70 range for me. According to most outlets, he’s able to field his position well, but currently just plays first base. Sasaki’s plate discipline is off the charts, as he walked twice as much as he struck out.

Regardless of where he plays when he comes to the States, Sasaki is a monster offensive threat regardless of the situation. It’ll be interesting to see where he lands, but it’ll be even more interesting to see how his development continues. Given his age, we could only be seeing a glimpse at how good Sasaki can become.

*: There is conflicting information on just how many home runs he hit, ranging from 138-150, but the number I see the most is 140, so that’s the one I went with. Just know that number could be anywhere in the 138-150 range.