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

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.He threw the fastest pitch ever recorded at the Japanese national high school baseball championship in August, clocking 156 kilometers per hour at Koshien Stadium.His decision to eschew Japan's professional ranks and attempt to r…READ FULL ARTICLE