Dodgers Meet With Japanese Pitcher Shoki Oda
The 18-year-old pitcher is meeting with 12 teams as he weighs international amateur free agency over the Japanese league.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Baseball
The Los Angeles Dodgers are meeting with 18-year-old Japanese pitcher Shoki Oda, who is talking with 12 teams while deciding between college baseball and international amateur free agency. Oda skipped Japan's NPB after being drafted in the first round by the Yomiuri Giants.
Why it matters
Oda wants to play baseball directly in the United States rather than follow the NPB development path, a choice that could shape where elite international amateurs choose to develop. His decision will determine whether any MLB team can acquire him through amateur free agency or the amateur draft.
Oda, who is six feet, one inch tall, throws a 95 mph fastball as a starter and up to 97 mph in relief, plus five other pitches. Which MLB team he signs with remains unresolved while he weighs his options.
The players
Shoki Oda
An 18-year-old Japanese pitcher who was drafted first round by the Yomiuri Giants but chose to skip Japan's NPB development path.
Los Angeles Dodgers
A Major League Baseball franchise based in Los Angeles that is among the 12 teams meeting with Oda.
The details
Oda, 18, was drafted in the first round by the Yomiuri Giants but skipped the NPB. He throws a slider, curveball, changeup, splitter, and cutter alongside his fastball, and is expected to continue growing and gaining strength, with projections of triple-digit velocity.
Timeline
November 2, 2026: Report published that the Dodgers are meeting with Oda.
Roadmap
Oda's choice to skip the NPB and pursue American baseball directly departs from the traditional route Japanese pitchers have followed to reach MLB. If he signs with an MLB club, it would signal that elite Japanese amateurs increasingly see direct American development as a viable alternative.
Any MLB team can acquire Oda through amateur free agency or the amateur draft, depending on whether he chooses college first. Fans tracking top prospects will want to watch which of the 12 teams he signs with once his path is set.
The takeaway
Oda's decision shows that top international amateurs now weigh direct American development against the NPB route. Following where he signs offers a useful signal of how the global baseball pipeline is changing.
Further reading
For more on the sport's international pipeline, see Baseball.
