The Stanford Cardinal are getting ready to showcase their new heavy hitter when the 2025 campaign begins on February 14 against Cal State Fullerton. That heavy hitter is newcomer Rintaro Sasaki, who was just named the No. 1 freshman in college baseball by Baseball America.
Standing six feet tall, 289 pounds, Sasaki will don the No. 3 for the Cardinal, and will arguably be the most-watched player on the field most games after skipping the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft in order to head to the United States and enroll at Stanford.
The 19-year-old native of Hanamaki, Japan has already played some ball in the U.S., suiting up for the Trenton Thunder and the Greeneville Flyboys in the summer league. With Trenton he hit .221 with a .387 OBP, four home runs and 17 RBI in 26 games (111 plate appearances), and followed that up by batting .391, paired with a .595 on-base with Greeneville in nine games.
Baseball America had this to say of their No. 1 freshman: “At 6-feet tall and 289 pounds, Sasaki is as strong and as physical as they come. While his carrying tool is his 70-grade power, Sasaki also has a feel for the barrel and consistently generates quality contact.
“He boasts thunderous bat speed, as well as sound pitch recognition skills. Though he’s limited to first base defensively, Sasaki’s offensive prowess makes up for it. Sasaki projects to hit in the middle of Stanford’s lineup this spring and has ACC Freshman of the Year upside.“
Sasaki wasn’t the only Stanford freshman to get some love from BA, however. Shortstop Charlie Bates also landed on the list at No. 16. Bates hails from Palo Alto, California and is a graduate of Palo Alto High School, where he was receiving some MLB Draft consideration before choosing to honor his commitment to the Cardinal. He was also born at Stanford hospital and grew up wanting to be a Stanford athlete.
From BA: “Bates has impressive hand-eye coordination and an advanced feel for the barrel, which translates to above-average contact skills. He grew into some more impact last spring, and while his power may be more extra-base oriented than over the fence, it could end up being solid-average when all is said and done. Bates’ smooth actions and soft hands give him a chance to stick at shortstop long term.”
Bates will be wearing No. 10 for the Cardinal this season.
While the season begins on February 14, that opening four-game series will be on the road against Cal State Fullerton. The first home series for Stanford will be from February 21-24 against Washington, with each game taking place in the afternoon.
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