Stanford University slugger Rintaro Sasaki has decided to sign with the Miami Marlins, turning down an offer from the SoftBank Hawks after being taken by both teams in their respective drafts. For the 21-year-old Sasaki, it came down to the opportunity to challenge himself at the highest level. “I want to live a life where I choose to challenge myself, rather than focusing on whether I succeed or fail” Sasaki said at a press conference in Japan. Sasaki was selected by Hawks in the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He was also chosen by the Marlins in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft earlier this month, taken in the eighth round with the 235th pick. Sasaki had a July 27th deadline to sign with the Marlins, while an agreement with SoftBank could have been made any time before the end of July. This season, his second in the United States, he batted .262 with 16 home runs in 54 games.