What I Saw from Marek Houston and Rintaro Sasaki at Stanford

I recently went to a Stanford vs Wake Forest game and I got to see some good baseball played. (Stanford walked it off in 12 innings, and won 7-6.) But besides the exciting game, I got to see Japanese college superstar, Rintaro Sasaki. I also got to see #15 ranked draft prospect, Marek Houston. Here’s what I thought of them.

Rintaro Sasaki:

Rintaro Sasaki went 1 for 5, but I saw more hard contact, and that contact was just finding leather. The single to start off the 12th was clutch, and that’s what started the rally. Obviously, he’s not the wind on the bases, but what did you expect? He’s a big lefty. His defense is sneakily very good. He picked all the balls that were low, and he did make a diving stop to his right. There’s a ton of power in his game, but there’s too many strikeouts. Chase rate is also a problem for him. He did walk once, so maybe he still has a decent eye at the plate. He’s not super mobile in the field, but he has soft hands. The comp my head goes to is Michael Busch. Good power. Good defense. Both are big dudes. Both play 1st base.

My scouting grades: 

Hit: 50

Power: 65

Run: 40

Arm: 55

Field: 55

Overall: 55

Marek Houston:

Marek Houston went 1 for 6, and honestly I didn’t see much out of him with the bat. His defense was 2nd to none with a few slick plays, as well as a diving one. He looks like a really comfortable shortstop. He has pretty good arm strength, a tier down from elite speed, but there was almost no raw power or slug. I was impressed with his range at SS, but that is also related to his plus speed. A good comp for Marek is Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Decent contact skill, not a lot of HR/slug, but plus plus speed and a good glove. I think he could prove to be a better player overall, but the comp is pretty similar. One thing I like is that he’s reportedly added some muscle.

My scouting grades:

Hit: 55

Power: 45

Run: 55

Arm: 55

Field: 65

Overall: 55

Thanks for reading!