From the Associated Press :
One of the most promising players looking to enter Japanese professional baseball this season is in hot water for smoking a cigarette.
Yu Darvish, an 18-year-old top draft choice of the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League, was grounded Monday after it was learned the rookie right-hander was caught smoking underage while taking part in the team’s minor league camp.
A picture of Darvish smoking in a pachinko parlor was taken by a weekly gossip magazine that will hit the stands Tuesday. It is illegal in Japan for people under 20 to smoke.
The Fighters have ordered Darvish not to leave the team dormitory except for specified practice sessions. He has also been assigned to do community service at a later date.
Darvish, whose father is Iranian and mother Japanese, tossed a no-hitter for Tohoku High School in the high school baseball championship last March. In December, he signed a $145,000 US contract with the Fighters.