Athletics drafted RHP/DH Itsuki Takemoto in the 19th round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Takemoto is an interesting story because, like his fellow countryman Rintaro Sasaki, he decided to skip the Nippon Professional League Draft in 2022 and leave Japan for the United States instead of playing professionally in college. Takemoto played two seasons at the University of Hawaii, posting a 5.16 ERA in 104 2/3 innings while also focusing on weight training and building muscle. While the results weren’t there for the 21-year-old in college, his ultimate result in being drafted could make this pathway more common in the future.
