The hype surrounding Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie Yuki Saito has just been phenomenal.
From the grand entrance-to-the-team ceremony for the former high school and college pitching star at Sapporo Dome before 8,000 fans on Dec. 9, to the atmosphere at the Fighters' spring training site, the excitement is sky high.
He is on the cover of every preseason baseball magazine in Japan, and his name has appeared in headlines on Japanese sports papers on numerous occasions since the Fighters won his draft rights in November.