The Yomiuri Giants on Thursday secured negotiating rights to star 18-year-old pitcher Shoki Oda, who a week ago expressed his desire to pursue a career in the United States straight out of Yokohama High School.The Central League club was the only team to select the right-hander in the first round of Nippon Professional Baseball's new player draft and has until the end of next March to sign him.Oda, who stands 186 centimeters tall, threw the fastest pitch ever recorded at the Japanese national high school baseball championship in August, clocking 156 kilometers per hour at Koshien Stadium."H…READ FULL ARTICLE
