Marlins draft standout Japanese bat Sasaki out of Stanford

MIAMI — The Marlins selected Japanese-born Rintaro Sasaki in the eighth round (235th overall) of the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday afternoon. Sasaki, who spent the past two years playing at Stanford, arrived stateside in 2023 as Japan’s all-time high school home run leader. In his first season with the Cardinal, Sasaki hit seven homers and posted a .790 OPS. Those numbers improved with more comfortability in 2025, crushing 16 homers and recording a .952 OPS with nearly as many walks (45) as strikeouts (50). During the MLB Draft Combine in June, Sasaki turned heads with an impressive batting practice…