After interviews with 12 Japanese and eight major league clubs over four days, Hanamaki Higashi High School left-hander Yusei Kikuchi said Tuesday it has gotten harder to decide which side of the Pacific he will be on next year.
"Both leagues are appealing to me. I can't make up my mind just yet," Kikuchi told a press conference following Tuesday's talks with the Seattle Mariners, the New York Mets, the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians.
"If possible, I want to take both leagues. It has gotten more difficult for me to make a decision," he added.
A day earlier, the 18-year-old met with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.
Hanamaki Higashi manager Hiroshi Sasaki, who accompanied Kikuchi throughout the interview process, said, "I don't think we can make a decision in a day or two. But we'd like to decide by early next week after consulting with his parents.
"Some Japanese clubs say they would even consider having Kikuchi in the rotation immediately, while major league teams plan to train him in a development program before promoting him to the big leagues." Japanese baseball will hold the amateur draft on Oct. 29. Last year, Junichi Tazawa refused to be named in the Japanese draft and signed a three-year deal with the Red Sox — the first such move by a top Japanese amateur player.