YOKOHAMA - Japanese high school pitching phenom Shoki Oda announced Thursday he will skip the Nippon Professional Baseball draft and begin pursuing a career in the United States.
The 18-year-old right-hander from Yokohama High School has drawn significant interest from both sides of the Pacific and was considered a strong candidate to be a first-round pick in the Oct. 22 draft.
He threw the fastest pitch ever recorded at the Japanese national high school baseball championship in August, clocking 156 kilometers per hour at Koshien Stadium.
His decision to eschew Japan's professional ranks and attempt to reach Major League Baseball via the U.S. college or minor league pathway is rare for a top Japanese high school prospect.
"I made the decision because I want to become the best in the world," he said during a press conference at his school near Tokyo. "I am fully prepared to take on this challenge."
Oda was a driving force behind his team's victory at last year's invitational spring Koshien tournament and helped lead them to the final four in this year's summer edition.
Standing 186 centimeters, he has displayed an impressive repertoire of breaking pitches to go with his powerful fastball.
