STANFORD, Calif. – Preparing for their first season on The Farm in 2025, freshmen Rintaro Sasaki and Charlie Bates have earned spots on Baseball America’s Top 25 Freshmen list.
Sasaki, a highly-touted prospect out of Japan, headlines the list at No. 1 overall. The power-hitting first baseman sent shockwaves through the college baseball world last fall when he announced that he would be forgoing the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft to attend college in the United States. Enrolling on campus last spring, Sasaki made his stateside debut this summer for the Trenton Thunder in the Draft League. He finished the summer with an outstanding nine-game stint in the Appy League in which he slashed .391/.913/1.508 with three home runs and eight RBIs.
A local product out of Palo Alto, Calif., Bates is the No. 16 freshman on the list. Bates had plenty of draft interest last year, but ended up choosing to honor his commitment to the Cardinal. He got his feet wet this summer with the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League, batting .455 with a homer and three RBIs over three games.
The Cardinal is preparing to open the 2025 season on Friday, February 14 at Cal State Fullerton.