The Los Angeles Dodgers are considered a contender for the services of 18-year-old Japanese pitcher Shoki Oda, and on Tuesday, a Dodgers executive shed some light on their pursuit of the wunderkid.
Speaking from Las Vegas, where the annual General Managers Meetings are being held, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes confirmed that the team is very interested in Oda, though he was a bit coy about specifics.
What did Brandon Gomes say about Shoki Oda?
Speaking with reporters, Gomes was asked about Oda, and he called the phenom “super talented.”
“He’s super talented. Really projectable, fun to watch him throw,” Gomes said. “I know our international guys have been watching him closely. Not sure how that all shakes out exactly, but know that we think really highly of him.”
Oda’s high school manager, Hiroaki Murata, revealed that the youngster is meeting with 12 teams, the Dodgers among them.
Asked about meeting with Oda, Gomes would only say that the Dodgers have “potentially” already met with him, a sly grin revealing that, in all likelihood, Murata has been telling the truth.
Given the pending lockout, though, it doesn’t seem there will be a follow up.
“I don’t know if he’s going to be visiting us anytime soon,” Gomes said.
Could the Dodgers sign Shoki Oda?
It’s certainly possible that, while there are about a dozen teams chasing Oda, the Dodgers have a leg up.
Oda is reportedly a fan of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is, of course, one of three Japanese stars on the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are also apparently the only MLB team Oda follows on Instagram.
Adding the talented youngster to the Dodgers organization sounds like it would be a dream come true for him, as well as a huge coup for the Dodgers.
Not only would he likely be an asset on the field, but reaching Japanese fans has been a key part of the Dodgers’ business strategy, which then, of course, translates to more spending power to acquire big-ticket free agents.
Do you think Shoki Oda will be the next Japanese star to join the Dodgers?
