“Dodgers Already Signed Him, 10 years $2 Billion” – Fans Predict As Japan’s Rintaro Sasaki Takes MLB Draft Combine By Storm

Japan’s Rintaro Sasaki made waves at the 2026 MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix. The Stanford first baseman, who comes from the same school as Shohei Ohtani, produced the highest recorded exit velocity of the early session at 115.4 mph. He launched home runs measuring 458 feet and 434 feet.

Several fans praised the Japanese prospect, comparing him to three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani.

“Dodgers already signed him 10 years 2 billion🔥” one fan predicted.

“Future Dodger on a deferred contract,” another wrote.

“Ohtani’s carbon copy swing with muncy’s built. he’ll be great,” one fan commented.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

The Dodgers connection is interesting. Over the last few years, several top-tier Japanese prospects have chosen to sign with the Dodgers rather than other teams. The franchise has won back-to-back World Series and is powered by Japanese stars, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

Rintaro Sasaki Avoided NPB With MLB Draft Decision

Coming out of high school, Rintaro Sasaki was widely viewed as a future No. 1 pick in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball draft. Sasaki smashed a national high school record of 140 home runs at Hanamaki Higashi High School.

However, instead of going to the NPB, Sasaki decided to attend Stanford University so he could make his way to MLB through the NCAA and MLB draft system.

After his performance at the combine, he said (via MLB.com):

“That was a great experience for me. It was a great moment. I just tried to hit [it over] the wall, hit it far away and hit it hard.”

Eye-popping exit velocities are nothing new for Sasaki. His time in the MLB Draft League and Appalachian League before arriving at Stanford had already shown the explosion in his bat. He had clobbered a 430-foot home run with a wooden bat in the summer of 2024 and a 476-foot home run with an aluminum bat in May.

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