Yusei Kikuchi

Who is Yusei Kikuchi?

Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese left-handed pitcher who currently plays for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. Kikuchi mixes a fastball that was clocked at 154 km/h in the third round of the Japan National Sports Festival, though it routinely sits in the high-80s, with a slider in the mid-70s.

In October 2009, Kikuchi sparked controversy when it was announced that he was considering bypassing the amateur draft in Japan for the NPB and signing with an American Major League Baseball club. Under Major League Baseball's current rules, Kikuchi would not have been subject to the MLB Draft and instead be declared a free agent, free to sign with any American team he wanted. The Texas Rangers were one of several teams interested in signing Kikuchi, as well as the Boston Red Sox. Japanese news service reports also identified scouts from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees watching Kikuchi in tournaments. All 12 NPB teams were also reportedly interested in signing the pitcher.