Japanese phenom Rintaro Sasaki forgoes NPB draft, will attend American college
- Rintaro Sasaki, top Japanese HS prospect, decides not to enter NPB draft and will play college baseball in U.S.
- Sasaki attends same high school as Shohei Ohtani and was expected to be first pick in NPB draft.
- There is no precedent for a top Japanese prospect skipping NPB and entering MLB draft from U.S. college.
- Sasaki has tremendous raw power but faces questions about how he'll fare against top amateur pitching.
- Most view Sasaki currently as a third-round MLB draft prospect out of college.