TOKYO - Over 10 MLB clubs will interview Yokohama High School pitching star Shoki Oda, its team manager Hiroaki Murata said Monday.
The 18-year-old expressed his intent to head to the United States straight out of high school before he was drafted by the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball as their first pick on Oct. 22.
"(His mind) hasn't changed. He is really looking forward to the interviews," Murata said, revealing that the number of interested MLB clubs is 11 or 12.
Oda stands 186 centimeters tall and threw the fastest pitch ever recorded at the Japanese national high school baseball championship in August, clocking 156 kilometers per hour at Koshien Stadium.
MLB lockout is on the cards in case it cannot reach a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association before the Dec. 1 deadline, and Oda has the option of enrolling at an American college.
Negotiations with the Central League's Giants are not planned for the time being as Oda prioritizes his interviews with the big-league clubs.
"He's only thinking about the United States at the moment," Murata said. "I cannot stop his life. I want him to make a good decision that matches him."
