Japanese-born baseball pitcher Yusei Kikuchi plays for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB) (MLB). Kikuchi Yusei was born in Japan on June 17, 1991.
Previously played for the Saitama Seibu Lions in NPB and the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball (MLB).
As a high school pitcher in 2009, Kikuchi’s fastball was measured at 154 km/h (96 mph). When it was learned that Kikuchi was considering forgoing the Japanese amateur draft to play in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, controversy broke out (NPB).
Among the organizations interested in signing Kikuchi were the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox. For a Japanese high school player to forego the domestic amateur draft in order to play in Major League Baseball would have been a first.
Kikuchi helped Hanamaki Higashi to a second-place finish in the national high school invitational in April and the semifinals of the national championships in August.
In order to equal out the prospects of Japanese teams, who are not allowed to make offers prior to the selection, NPB requested that Kikuchi not get an offer from any major league clubs before the draft.
Does Yusei Kikuchi Have Any Kids?
Although it is true that Yusei Kikuchi and his wife Rumi Fukastu had a child, there is currently very little information available regarding the child.