Yokohama High School pitcher Shoki Oda says he will pursue a US career

Shoki Oda, a pitcher at Yokohama High School, announced in autumn 2026 that he would pursue a baseball career in the United States rather than go through the draft run by Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Japan's top pro league.

Oda had become one of the most talked-about amateur players in Japan, known for a fastball that reached the high 90s in miles per hour. His decision meant he was prepared to skip the usual route, in which Japanese teams select players at an annual draft and hold their negotiating rights. Reports said representatives from a number of Major League Baseball clubs, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, had shown interest and planned to speak with him.

The announcement mattered because top Japanese prospects have rarely bypassed NPB straight out of high school. It raised questions about whether Japanese clubs could still attract the country's best young talent, and about what would happen if a team drafted him anyway. Several NPB clubs were still expected to consider selecting him, which set up the later attention around the Yomiuri Giants' first-round pick.