Rintaro Sasaki Has to Make a Major Decision On How He Will Continue His Baseball Career

Rintaro Sasaki grew up in Japan. His father coached many Japanese baseball stars, leading Rintaro to get into baseball. Now he is a 21-year-old baseball player. He was born April 18, 2005. He got recruited by Stanford for D1 baseball and he was their first baseman. Now, Rintaro has 3 major decisions in front of him that could change his life. The first one being, return to Japan and play Nippon Professional Baseball which is like America’s Major League Baseball. The second one being that he could sign with the MLB and then become a professional baseball player in the United States. The last choice he has is that he can return to Stanford for his 3rd season and try to improve on his line for this upcoming season.

Sasaki first came to America without knowing any English. That was two years ago. He said, “I didn’t speak English two years ago. I spoke only Japanese. (In) 18 years, I’ve never (gone) to another country ever before. For me, this is the best way.” So coming to America, he thinks, was the best choice to him, and he doesn’t know if he will decide to stay in the US or go home to Japan.

His coaches say that he is a good person and he doesn’t let the fame get to him. He makes himself a better teammate and player everyday. “I don’t know if many people could handle all the different attention he’s gotten and expectations and still stay grounded and become a good teammate and better himself as a player,” Stanford head coach Dave Esquer said. This shows his love for baseball because he doesn’t let anything bother him or distract him. They also say that Sasaki is a hard worker and works hard on what he needs to improve on. “He was very comfortable with what he was trying to get accomplished offensively, in terms of his swing, drill works, those things,” said Hibbs, who coached Sasaki on Cotuit. This shows his dedication to the sport and how he wants to get better.

“I’m proud to be here, so proud. If other Japanese kids can come here, and play in U.S. colleges with facilities like this…,” – Rintaro Sasaki