WBSC Premier12 2019 MVP Seiya Suzuki will enter Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) posting system for a chance to compete at the Major League Baseball (MLB) level in the United States.
"I shared my feelings with them a little while ago. Trying to crack the big leagues means moving up a level. I felt my time had come, so I told them I wanted to take up the challenge," said Suzuki to the Kyodo News agency.
The 27-year old Suzuki has just finished his ninth season with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of NPB. He appeared in 132 games and hit a career-high 38 home runs. He posted a .317 batting average and a .433 on-base percentage, connecting for 88 runs batted in (RBIs).
Since his debut in 2013, Suzuki has played 902 NPB games, combining 182 home runs and 562 RBIs. He has a .317 batting average and a 414 on-base percentage.
He has been named five times to the All-Star Game and was the 2019 Central League batting champion. He also earned three gold gloves as an outfielder.
Suzuki earned MVP honours at the Premier12 2019 as he went 12-for-27, .444 batting average, with three home runs and 13 RBIs, in eight games.
He was the starting right fielder for the gold medal Samurai Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Suzuki also represented Japan at the WBSC U-21 Baseball World Cup 2014.
