Top Japanese power prospect Sasaki foregoes NPB draft to attend US university

Don't look now, but Hanamaki Higashi High School may just be the best high school for developing future Major League stars on the planet. The school, which counts Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi among its graduates, may soon add Rintaro Sasaki to the list, as the Japanese power-hitting phenom has reportedly decided to forego the upcoming NPB draft and will instead look to attend a university in America.

(That's not the only connection Sasaki has with Ohtani, either: Sasaki's father, Hiroshi, was also Ohtani's manager at the high school.)

Referred to as the "Japanese Prince Fielder" by the popular English-language NPB channel Yakyu Cosmopolitan, the 6-foot, 250-lb slugger was rumored to go first overall in the upcoming NPB draft thanks to his patient batting eye -- drawing over two walks for each strikeout -- and light tower power. Sasaki hammered 140 home runs in his high school career, obliterating the record of 111 set by Kotaro Kiyomiya, who was selected first overall in the 2017 NPB draft. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel gave Sasaki a "70" raw power grade, which would put him ahead of the Cubs' Owen Caissie for the best power tool in the Minor Leagues.

While Sasaki may be known for his homers, he's made it clear that his team's success came before any personal accolades.

"I am not obsessed with the number of home runs I hit," Sasaki said earlier this year. "I appreciate the attention, but my priority is to help the team win. I only think about fulfilling my role."

The decision will have a big impact on Sasaki's future MLB prospects. Now, he'll not only attend a U.S. university -- there are rumors that Vanderbilt is interested -- but will also be eligible for the MLB Draft in three seasons. Were he to enter the NPB draft, he would need to wait for his Nippon Professional Baseball team to either post him, as Ohtani's Nippon Ham Fighters did in 2017, or wait until he became a free agent after nine years of service time.

Sasaki isn't the only player to make such a decision. Most recently, Rikuu Nishida did the same, spending two years at a junior college before transferring to Oregon. He was selected by the White Sox in the 11th round earlier this year.

One potential wrinkle: Because he's an international player, Sasaki will most likely not be eligible for an NIL deal.