Star high school pitcher Oda to skip NPB draft, move to U.S.

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.