STANFORD, Calif. - The preseason accolades continued to roll in on Friday for Stanford freshman Rintaro Sasaki, as the highly-touted Japanese standout was tabbed Preseason Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America.
According to Baseball America:
Sasaki did historic damage with his bat as a high schooler, slashing .413/.514/.808 and punishing a Japanese preps record 140 home runs. Trained by his father at Hanamaki-Higashi High School, the same school that produced Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, Sasaki has some of the best raw power in the college ranks, especially among freshmen, and his advanced feel to hit should allow him to contribute immediately at Stanford.
The NCAA single-season freshman home run record currently belongs to Tommy White, who clubbed 27 as a first-year player at NC State in 2022. Sasaki has the juice to challenge that and is our preseason pick for Freshman of the Year for that reason.
Sasaki is set to open his collegiate career on Friday, February 14 as the Cardinal begins the 2025 season at Cal State Fullerton.