The Miami Marlins selected Stanford University slugger Rintaro Sasaki in the eighth round, 235th overall, of the MLB draft on Saturday, setting up a tug-of-war for one of Japan's most coveted young hitters.
Sasaki, who hit 16 home runs for Stanford this season, went unselected through the first four rounds when the draft opened in Philadelphia on Friday. The Chicago White Sox took Locke Chorlowski first overall. Cincinnati Reds also picked Japanese pitcher Kenny Ishikawa in the 13th round, 392nd overall.
The Marlins face a tight window: negotiations must conclude by 5 p.m. Eastern on July 27. Complicating matters, Sasaki was already selected first overall by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in last autumn's NPB draft, with a separate signing deadline at the end of July.