Baseball: Japanese lefty Kikuchi's decision sparks mixed reactions

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HANAMAKI, Japan, Oct. 25 Kyodo -
Yusei Kikuchi's decision to begin his professional career in Japan relieved
Japanese baseball officials Sunday, but it appeared to be largely driven by the
older people around the 18-year-old, not by himself.
Major league clubs learned Kikuchi would be one of their attractive non-draft
free agents on the shopping list this offseason when the Hanamaki Higashi High
School left-hander said last month he wanted to pitch in the United States as
soon as possible.
The old guard in Japanese baseball was stunned to hear the future star's
intention, especially after Junichi Tazawa became the first high-profile
amateur player last year to snub the domestic leagues to pursue a career in
North America.
Hanamaki Higashi baseball team manager Hiroshi Sasaki knew how Tazawa's Nippon
Oil manager Hideaki Okubo was criticized by Japanese baseball for his role in
the right-hander's decision.
Sources close to Kikuchi even expressed concern that his school would come
under fire if it allowed him to leave Japan.
''I spoke with my parents over the phone many, many times about which league I
should choose to play in next year. I also consulted with the manager,''
Kikuchi said Sunday. ''In the end, I decided I would like to pitch against the
world's best after establishing myself in the Japanese pro leagues.''
Before announcing his decision, Kikuchi first met all 12 Japanese teams and
then listened to eight major league clubs in an apparent move by Hanamaki
Higashi officials to avoid any dispute with their own people.
Asked when he set his sights on the major leagues at Sunday's press conference,
Kikuchi said, ''As soon as I entered high school, I said to myself: I'm going
there right after high school. Major league baseball has been my dream since I
was in elementary school.''
Mac Suzuki is the only Japanese player who went to the United States in his
teens and made the majors without playing pro baseball in Japan.
The right-hander made his major league debut in 1996 at age 21. It took him
four years to reach the majors.
Suzuki later joined Japan's Orix BlueWave in 2003 as their second-round draft
pick after winning 16 games in the big leagues.
''I'd like to continue to support Kikuchi as he moves into professional
baseball,'' Hanamaki Higashi manager Sasaki said. ''Kikuchi is going to the
majors after he proves his worth in Japan, where he was raised.''
Major League scouts, meanwhile, could not hide their disappointment over
Kikuchi's decision to stay at home.
''His decision is no surprise, I guess,'' said Seattle Mariners scout Yasushi
Yamamoto, who hoped that Kikuchi would become another Japanese star on the team
following Ichiro Suzuki and Kenji Jojima.
''It takes a lot of courage to go over there. I wanted him to be a trailblazer
(as the first high-profile Japanese high schooler to sign with a major league
club).''
New York Mets scout Isao Ojimi said, ''Kikuchi is a talented young man. I don't
understand why the adults didn't encourage a man like him to try to pursue his
dream.''
Kikuchi was in tears at the end of Sunday's press conference.
''That's because he can't make his dream come true and he feels sorry for us --
major league people,'' Ojimi said.
Japanese baseball will hold the amateur draft Thursday. A number of teams are
expected to name Kikuchi as their first-round choice.
==Kyodo