SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The media folks — nearly 70 of them, nearly all from Japan — in attendance Monday at Salt River Fields already knew the drill. The television contingent congregated along the baseline of the U-shaped formation, with the reporters and camera operators crowded next to their cameras and tripods, and the boom mics laid out in front, in aesthetically pleasing parallel lines.

The writers stood bunched together on either side of the horseshoe formation, leaving a comfortable gap in the middle for a certain star baseball player to answer questions without being too crowded.

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No, this group was not assembled for Shohei Ohtani, the Angels' prize acquisition. His unveiling was set for Wednesday in Tempe, about 17 miles to the southwest. And this media throng wasn't here for Yu Darvish, the Cubs' prize offseason acquisition, either. His unveiling was Tuesday in Mesa, about nine miles due south of Salt River Fields.

These media folks were waiting to talk with 18-year-old slugger Kotaro Kiyomiya, the next potential superstar to wear the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters uniform. Haven't heard of him in America? You will, soon. Now, in fact.

Actually, though you might not remember his name, you might know a bit about him. Back in 2012, Kiyomiya led Japan to the Little League World Series championship in Williamsport, Pa.; already 6 feet tall at 13 years old, he struck out eight Tennessee batters in four innings in the title contest and went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI in Japan's 12-2 win.

Kiyomiya never really slowed down. He has already reached legend status in Japan, though he's yet to officially play his first professional game. The primary reason for the hype? Kiyomiya famously hit 111 home runs during his high school career, a number that includes exhibitions and national team games.

One of his new teammates, Brandon Laird, who played for the Yankees and Astros in 2011-13 but has spent the past three seasons slugging homers for the Fighters — he's averaged 35 home runs a year — remembers hearing about Kiyomiya and watching him on TV in Japan the past couple of years. Needless to say, Laird and the rest of the Fighters were happy to land Kiyomiya in the draft.

"I check this Japanese website and saw a headline, 'Kiyomiya a Fighter' and was like, 'No way!'" Laird told Sporting News with a smile Monday. "I texted my interpreter and asked, 'Did we get that big hitter?' He put up good numbers in high school, and he's all over the papers over there. Just glad that we got him."

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Kiyomiya is the next potential superstar to wear the Fighters' uniform. Ohtani played five seasons for the Fighters, dropping jaws with his bat and his arm, before leaving Japan to start his MLB career this offseason. And Darvish was a superstar pitcher for the Fighters from 2005 through 2011 — his year-by-year ERAs his final five seasons are crazy: 1.82, 1.88, 1.73, 1.78, 1.44 — before jumping to MLB.

I asked Laird whether the hype level for Kiyomiya is similar to what he saw with Ohtani the past couple of years. He laughed.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. I mean, you go out to the back fields and you know where he is. The media's all over there," Laird said. "You'll hear all the pictures getting taken. I mean, he's supposedly the real deal. To hit 111 home runs in high school over the three years, that's unheard of."

This is the third year in a row the Fighters have held a spring camp in Arizona, but their first at Salt River Fields. I was there for an intrasquad game Monday, but didn't get to see this legendary slugger swing the bat. He's working his way back from an injured right thumb (he's close to being back at full strength), so for now it's just defensive work and soft toss in a cage. He looked fluid and natural with the glove at first base.

It's not uncommon for high school baseball hitters in Japan to be asked to change their swings or their approach at the plate when they become professionals. Even someone with as well-honed of a swing as Ichiro Suzuki had to deal with that issue when he first joined the Orix Blue Wave in 1992. His manager, Shozo Doi, wanted hitting coach Kenichiro Kawamura to "fix" Ichiro's swing. Thankfully, Kawamura resisted, and the rest is history.

(Ryan Fagan/SN) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/4a/38/kotaro-kiyomiya-center-021318-ftr-snjpg_yl3v1jag4qz3113ydbeotz4vn.jpg?t=-1831025135&w=500&quality=80

The Fighters gather before Monday's intrasquad game. Kiyomiya is in the center, without a hat. (Ryan Fagan/SN)

On Monday after the scrimmage, a reporter asked Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama whether there was anything about Kiyomiya's swing that needs to be fixed.

"He does not need to fix his hitting approach. It is not only for Kiyomiya, but also for everyone (all the rookies)," Kuriyama said. "I have seen a lot of players. Everyone who comes into professional baseball has a very good strength. Everyone has to compete with his own weapon, otherwise he can not survive. If he gets into trouble, that is the time to change. I think it is not a good way to change something when somebody is just starting his professional career."

From Arizona, Kiyomiya and his teammates head to Okinawa for the next phase of spring training. Their regular season starts March 30, and that's when the legend can really grow.

"I feel like he's the new Ohtani of the Fighters," Laird said. "Hopefully he can live up to his hype and he can help the team."