When the Cotuit Kettleers lineup was called out just before its Thursday contest against the Chatham Anglers, there was an unfamiliar name on Loren Hibbs' lineup card. Chatham's PA announcer started to read the names, and in the four spot, he said, "batting fourth, the designated hitter from Stanford, No. 52, Rintaro Sasaki."
After months of wondering if the star Japanese slugger would come to Cotuit after his freshman campaign with the Cardinal, he arrived and was starting. While many players have stories of exhausting travel, delayed flights and long car rides, the all-time Japanese high school home run leader flew 14 hours nonstop to Massachusetts.
Sasaki rested his first two days on the Cape but was inserted into the starting lineup against the Anglers. The Cape Cod Baseball League is widely regarded as the best summer league nationally. When the 6-foot, 275-pound ballplayer was asked about his decision to play, he said it was about the experience.
"Everything will be a great experience for me. There are a lot of quality pitchers and good players that I'll be playing with and against, it's awesome," Sasaki said. "(I'm looking for) everything regarding my experience and helping myself improve for next season."
In Japan, Sasaki was a high school superstar, to say the least. In four seasons at Hanamaki-Higashi High School, he slashed .413/.514/.808 with 140 long balls, passing Shohei Ohtani for the all-time record. After his senior campaign, he was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft. Still, he would forgo that to pursue a college career in the United States. On February 13, 2024, Sasaki signed his National Letter of Intent with the Stanford Cardinal.
The 20-year-old will be eligible for the 2026 MLB Draft and looks to improve as a player, which is one of the reasons he chose to forgo the NPB and play Power Four baseball. Sasaki has lofty expectations to his name, but he says it doesn’t bother him.
“I don’t feel much pressure, it’s just baseball. Sometimes you feel it, but in terms of the baseball process, I trust myself,” he said. “I think that’s it, I just trust myself.”
He was solid in his freshman season, batting .269 with seven home runs, 41 RBIs and a .790 OPS. After the 2025 campaign ended, many wondered if he would play for Cotuit. Well, Sasaki flew into Boston on Monday night, putting those questions to bed.
The Japanese star rested for two days but suited up for the Ketts on Thursday as the designated hitter. In his debut, Sasaki went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. While it was a quiet start to his 2025 summer, he’ll have time to make his presence felt in the CCBL.
Sasaki is a top-40 prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft per Baseball America, but hopes his time at Stanford and with the Kettleers boosts that.
“There’s no excuse (playing in America), you know what I mean. It’ll help me get better at everything, and my focus on the process,” the first baseman said.
