 In 2002 he played again in Batavia as well as the Gulf Coast League.He was promoted to the Lakewood BlueClaws for the 2003 season and hit .247 with 6 home runs and 42 RBI's.Sato was selected in the seventh round by the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2003 draft upon returning to Japan, where he would play from 2004 until 2011.