Kaito Yuki is headed to the Kansas City Royals organization instead of attending high school in Japan.
The team signed Yuki, a 16-year-old pitcher, out of junior high to a standard seven-year minor league contract Sunday. He is thought to be the first Japanese junior high school player to sign with a major league club.
Yuki is listed at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds and his fastball has been clocked at 87-88 mph. He was born on May 12, 2002.
He would participate in the Royals’ fall instructional league in September and October, with the objective of making his professional debut in the minors next year.
Yuki has been compared to Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish, who grew up in the same city.
