Highly touted Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie Shohei Otani was selected third in fan balloting among Pacific League outfielders to make the roster for the upcoming All-Star Series after the final results were announced on Monday.
The 18-year-old Otani, who failed to make the top 10 among PL starting pitchers, is the first rookie out of high school to be named since Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace right-hander Masahiro Tanaka appeared in the midsummer classic in his rookie season in 2007.
"I want to be able swing the bat hard and enjoy playing," said Otani. "All the star players will be gathered. I'd like to learn a lot from the atmosphere there."