Marlins select Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki out of Stanford in draft's eighth round

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MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins drafted Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki out of Stanford in the eighth round of the amateur draft on Sunday.

The 21-year-old first baseman played two seasons at Stanford, hitting .262 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs as a sophomore last year.

Sasaki played under Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani's father, Toru, as a kid and is Japan's all-time high school home run leader.

Fukuoka SoftBank of Nippon Professional Baseball has exclusive negotiating rights after using a first-round pick on Sasaki last October, so he faces a decision whether to remain in the US or head back to Japan to start his professional career.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb