The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of 12 teams meeting with emerging prospect Shoki Oda, trying to court the 18-year-old.
The Dodgers are seriously interested in Oda
Oda is bucking the usual trend for a promising Japanese talent, skipping the NPB and saying he wants to come directly to play baseball in America.
Now, as he weighs signing in international amateur free agency, he is meeting with 12 teams, including the Dodgers, according to Oda’s high school manager, Hiroaki Murata.
The Dodgers, or any MLB team, can acquire him through amateur free agency, with Oda’s only alternative being the amateur draft.
As a free agent, he can pick where he wants to develop, and given how badly he wants to move stateside, that may appeal to him more than developing in the college ranks.
Why Oda’s free agency is so unique
Typically, prospects from Japan get drafted by an NPB team, develop their game in Japan, then get posted for American teams to sign as free agents.
Once a player commits to NPB, they are locked into the league for a set period, so they must wait for eligibility before being posted.
Oda wants to avoid all of that, and with his decision to pitch in America directly, he needs to decide whether to pitch in college and enter the amateur draft or enter international amateur free agency.
He was already drafted in the first round by the Yomiuri Giants, but the teenager is not wavering in his intent to come to the States.
“I want to play in the No. 1 (league) in the world. I want to be No. 1 in the world,” Oda said to reporters, per the California Post.
Oda’s scouting report
Oda is a pitcher who can throw 95 miles per hour on his fastball as a starter, reaching 97 MPH as a bullpen arm.
At six feet, one inch and only 18 years old, there is reason to expect Oda to not only grow, but get stronger and potentially reach triple digits.
Additionally, he throws five other pitches, with a slider, curveball, changeup, splitter, and cutter in his arsenal, mirroring Yoshinobu Yamamoto in terms of offerings.
