The #1 international prospect of 2025 MLB is creating quite a stir. Yes, with the buzz surrounding which team will land Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki, his signing is also posing questions about the whole concept of amateur draft in MLB. So, with the records and experience, Sasaki is coming with, he is expected to fetch the highest contract beating every other international amateur on the list. But is that going to affect the other prospects?

Well, with the popularity and hype Sasaki has gained, teams like the Dodgers and the Blue Jays are putting their entire pool bonus amount on him. If so, then how will the other international amateurs be signed? That’s paving the way for major scrutiny of MLB’s international signing process. But here the question is; how is Sasaki different from other international amateurs and what should be the way forward for the MLB draft?

Can Roki Sasaki termed as an ameteur?

Yes, the eligibility criteria for MLB international signing is considering Sasaki as an amateur. How? Well, he is under 25 years old and has not played a minimum of 6 seasons with NPB, hence he is classified as an amateur and can only be signed to a minor league deal. As per MLB’s criteria, players aged a minimum of 16 years and from any country other than the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico can be signed as international amateurs. Then what is the fuss here regarding his signing?

As per the MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, “Why is Roki Sasaki in the same pool as kids from Latin America who’ve never played professionally?” So it’s the experience of Sasaki that is creating the noise here. Sasaki started his professional career in 2021 at NPB and that means he already has three years of professional playing experience including representing Japan in the WBC and having a world record of 13 strikeouts in a single game. On the other hand, the other prospects on the list for signings are majorly 16-year-old lads with no professional experience. So expectedly Roki Sasaki is getting all the limelight on him from the MLB teams. 

With Sasaki’s contract still pending, the wait for other amateurs to get signed in MLB is just getting longer. Why? Because teams are all focusing on getting Sasaki and willing to pour out their entire pool amount designated for international signings. For instance, if Sasaki goes to the Blue Jays, then it is likely that the Blue Jays will pour out their entire pool amount for Roki Sasaki considering his huge demand, and will have nothing left for other amateurs. Thus, the entire concept of signing international amateurs is going for a toss here. However, what is the way forward then?

Ways forward for MLB

Well, it is for MLB to welcome more discussions about how to manage this issue. While talents like Roki Sasaki cannot be deprived of their rights, the other amateur talents should also be equally represented. So, while the amateurs like the 16-year olds players who have never played professionally can be signed with the existing process, players with a minimum of 1 year of game experience should have a different pool. In that case, the pool amount should be capped for both pools so that the teams can pick from both, mandatorily. But will that solve the issue?

Maybe or maybe not. While this process can make space for genuine amateurs, it might lose the interest of MLB among the players like Sasaki. Capping their maximum deal amount will limit their earnings when even teams are willing to pay more and the inflow of players like Sasaki may get reduced in the long term. So, yes, this is something worth to be discussed more in detail with all the relevant stakeholders to come up with a valid way out. 

Apart from that, Roki Sasaki is surely getting one heck of a deal this year and fans can hope for some other talented amateurs also signing with different teams. At least the teams not signing Sasaki will have enough pool amount to sign these players and make them represent in the biggest stage. So let’s be hopeful that MLB will bring change for the better and equal representation of the amateurs going forward.