Japanese college baseball superstar Genei Sato makes unprecedented decision, transfers to Penn State Nittany Lions

Billy Heyen

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Japanese college baseball superstar Genei Sato makes unprecedented decision, transfers to Penn State Nittany Lions image

Genei Sato has made a decision that could change how things are done in the future for young Japanese baseball players.

Sato has been pitching at Sendai University in Japan, and he's one of the most promising young arms in world baseball.

But on Monday, Sato was announced as the newest member of the Penn State Nittany Lions' Division I baseball team.

Sato had already expressed his intention to transfer to a United States college, and now that move is in motion.

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Why is Genei Sato going to Penn State?

Sato is trying to change the game by making himself MLB Draft eligible.

By enrolling at Penn State, Sato will be able to be chosen in the 2027 MLB Draft.

If he had stayed in Japan, he would've had to spend an extended length of time in Nippon Professional Baseball before potentially being posted and coming to MLB.

Not every player will follow this path, but if a Japanese ballplayer wants to reach MLB more quickly, this could be the way to go.

How good is Genei Sato?

Sato's stuff is filthy. He throws up to 99 miles per hour and has a great splitter.

Here's a look:

It's exciting news for Penn State, to be sure.

The Nittany Lions' hockey program landed potential No. 1 NHL Draft pick Gavin McKenna in a relatively unprecedented move from a juniors team to NCAA hockey, and now they've got Sato coming aboard, too.

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Staff Writer