Rather than pursue a career in the MLB, Yusei Kikuchi has decided to stay in Japan. The Yankees, along with several other Major League organizations, were interested in the young lefty. However, he’ll be a part of the Japanese amateur draft which is scheduled for October 29th (he’s projected to be the first overall pick).
Either way, for Kikuchi, I’m sure he was faced with a difficult decision and, at the end of the day, he ultimately chose what he was most comfortable with. During the press conference in which his decision was announced, Kikuchi said, “I don’t think I have what it takes to compete at the world level yet,” which is an extremely humble statement. Choosing a career in the MLB is obviously a lucrative situation, even as a prospect, but, it’s always difficult to take on such a significant cultural and competitive change. Perhaps we’ll hear about him again in a few years (there’s always the posting system).
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2 Responses to Kikuchi staying in Japan
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TIQ IQ
Good Post Chris…
He is so young, he made the right choice. I had never thought of the cultural aspect of his coming to the USA.
This means we will go after Chapman harder?
Thanks, OR. I definitely think the Yankees are going to chase down Chapman. He has better stuff than Kikuchi and was always going to be the number one target, but this just makes it easier for teams to focus on him rather than on two highly touted international FA’s.