 NPB had asked that Kikuchi not receive an offer from any major league clubs before Japan's draft, in order to even the chances for Japanese teams, who are not allowed to make offers before the draft.Kikuchi helped Hanamaki Higashi to a runnerup finish at the national high school invitational in April and to the semifinals in the national championship in August.Kikuchi had reportedly expressed a preference to play in the United States and even visited in October.