TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The SoftBank Hawks won the negotiation rights to highly touted Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki of Stanford University as their first pick during the Nippon Professional Baseball draft on Thursday.

The Pacific League pennant winner Hawks won a two-way lottery with the DeNA BayStars for the 20-year-old first baseman, who enrolled at Stanford last year after skipping NPB's draft in the fall of 2023.

Sasaki, who ended his first season at Stanford in May batting .269 with seven home runs and 41 RBIs over 52 games, will be eligible for the Major League Baseball draft next July.

"I respect whichever you choose between Japan and the United States," said ex-Seattle Mariner Kenji Johjima, who drew the winning lottery as the chief baseball officer for one of his other former teams, the Hawks.

"It's a unique situation with him. He wouldn't be joining us from the start of next year (even if he chooses us), but we saw him as an attractive player worth taking that risk."

The left-handed hitter grabbed the headlines after hitting 140 home runs, including those in unofficial games, while at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture.

His father, Hiroshi, is a renowned high school baseball manager, having counted current MLB stars Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi among his proteges during their time at the school.

Hawks chairman Sadaharu Oh, Japan baseball home run leader at 868, said through the club he has spoken to Sasaki by phone.

"He was really delighted, and that made us happy too," the 85-year-old said. "I told him to let's work together, setting high targets."

"His strength is his slugging ability more than anything. It's innate and not something you can acquire easily afterward. I want him to further unleash his talent and give all he has to be the face of the team."

Sasaki's management company said that no decision will be made soon, and it has no plans to release comments from the player for the foreseeable future. It also added that the player is "sincerely honored" and "encouraged" by the high evaluation he received.

Slugger Masahiro Tateishi of Soka University was the most sought-after player during this year's draft, with the Central League pennant winner Hanshin Tigers winning a three-way lottery with the Hiroshima Carp and the Nippon Ham Fighters.