InsideJapan News Network

Japanese baseball player Yusei Kikuchi has been meeting with a number of Major League Baseball clubs from the US, it has been reported.

Amateur player Kikuchi, who is 18, is set to meet with clubs including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners at his high school in Iwate in northern Japan.

As well as these, the player is due to meet with representatives from the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.

Left-handed pitcher Kikuchi has been at the centre of a signing frenzy in the world of baseball after achievements in the game including the ability to throw a ball at 96 miles per hour.

The Boston Red Sox already have Japanese players Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Junichi Tazawa.

Commenting on the personality of Kikuchi, NPB Tracker blogger Patrick said that the pitcher is a "studious kid who reads ten books per month".

Written by Kimberley Homer.