Hanamaki Higashi High School left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on Sunday announced his decision to play in Japan next year after recent interviews with all 12 domestic and eight major league clubs.
The announcement came at his school four days before the Japanese draft, where a number of teams are now expected to name the 18-year-old Kikuchi as their first-round choice.
"I'd like to play professional baseball in Japan," Kikuchi said. "I was really unsure about what to do and made up my mind only yesterday. If selected, I'd like to play for whichever team wins the negotiating rights."