NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- Stanford University slugger Rintaro Sasaki of Japan intends to join the Miami Marlins after being picked in the eighth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft over the weekend, a source familiar with his thinking said Wednesday.

The 21-year-old infielder was also the top pick of the Fukuoka-based SoftBank Hawks in the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. All eyes have been on his decision -- whether to join the MLB franchise, start his pro career in Japan, or remain at Stanford for another year of college ball.

Sasaki, drafted 235th overall by Miami, has been touted as Japanese high school baseball's home run king, having amassed 140 homers playing for Hanamaki Higashi High School in his native Iwate Prefecture.

He faces a July 27 deadline for negotiations with the Marlins, while the cutoff for signing a contract with the Hawks in Japan's Pacific League is also at the end of the month.

Sasaki entered Stanford University in 2024. This season, his second in the United States, he batted .262 with 16 home runs across 54 games.

As a youngster, he looked up to renowned Hanamaki Higashi alums Yusei Kikuchi and Shohei Ohtani, both of whom were coached by Sasaki's father.