The Miami Marlins selected Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki out of Stanford in the eighth round of the amateur draft on Sunday.

The 21-year-old first baseman played two seasons at Stanford, hitting .262 with 16 homers and 47 RBI as a sophomore last year. Sasaki is Japan's all-time high school home run leader and played under Toru Ohtani, father of superstar Shohei Ohtani, as a child.

However, Fukuoka Soft Bank of Nippon Professional Baseball holds exclusive negotiating rights after using a first-round pick on Sasaki last October. He now faces a decision whether to remain in the U.S. or return to Japan to begin his professional career.