Giants Take Yokohama High's Shoki Oda First in NPB Draft Despite MLB Plans
The Yomiuri Giants chose Yokohama High School right-hander Shoki Oda with their first pick on October 22, 2026, though he wants to play in the US.
This summary was written by AI to complete the context; it is not based on a current source.
On October 22, 2026, the Yomiuri Giants selected Yokohama High School right-hander Shoki Oda with their first pick at the annual NPB draft, the amateur draft of Japan's professional baseball league.
The pick was unusual because Oda had said publicly, about a week earlier, that he wanted to bypass Japanese professional baseball and pursue a career in Major League Baseball in the United States. He had nonetheless submitted a draft declaration, so he remained eligible for selection by an NPB club.
The Giants' choice was widely seen as a gamble. Under NPB rules, a team that picks a player who then refuses to sign receives no compensation pick, so Yomiuri risked losing a first-round selection with no guarantee of a signing. By choosing him anyway, the club kept alive the chance of persuading a highly rated teenager to start his career in Japan.
The selection set up a contest between NPB's draft system and the pull of MLB, and it prompted attention from American clubs interested in signing him directly.
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Oda Shoki's push for MLB over NPB · 2 updates
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