The New York Yankees are reportedly interested and one of the teams in the running for right-handed pitcher out of Japan, Shoki Oda of Yoshohoma High School, per Yakyu Cosmopolitan. Oda is an 18-year-old right-hander who has reached 97 mph in recent months at the “Summer Koshien,” a widely regarded baseball tournament showcasing the best high school/amateur players and teams in Japan, per Yakyu Cosmopolitan.
Oda impressed so much at the Summer Koshien that he threw 23 straight scoreless innings in the tournament, raising his draft stock/profile within the NPB, the professional baseball league of Japan, but also his value amongst MLB teams such as the Yankees, Dodgers, and several others who are likely scouting this amateur player, per PolyMarketBaseball. Oda, on top of his mid-to-high 90s fastball, also throws a plus curveball. She is projected to be a top pick in the 2026 NPB Draft if he chooses to start his professional career in Japan, per PolyMarketBaseball.
Oda Has Big Decision To Make Within Coming Months
An MLB team that potentially signs Oda would have to do so during the winter, specifically the international signing period through December 15th. Interestingly, the Yankees currently have the largest signing bonus pool in MLB, according to Francys Romero. He reports that the Yankees’ international bonus pool is set at $2,967,500, the highest in MLB for this signing period, according to Romero. The Yankees lost several international prospects they were originally expected to sign, such as Dominican shortstop Wandy Asign, who was expected to sign on January 15th with the Yankees last offseason, but then ended up signing across town with the New York Mets for $3.8 million.
Hector Gomez, another MLB Insider, reported that during the same international signing period, the Yankees also lost their other three top international prospect deals, which included Mairon De La Rosa to Seattle, Leonardo Feliz, and Josneybert Vera, a shortstop from Venezuela, stated Gomez. The main reason for this is unknown, but a possible explanation could be the scouting shake-up the Yankees have made internally within their organization this past year.
The Yankees had parted ways with international scouting director Danny Rowland after being with the team for 15 years. The Yankees then promoted Mario Garza as their new international scouting director, after Garza was previously the director of baseball development and had been with the organization for 15 seasons as a coach and coordinator of business development, per Yankees beat writer for MLB.com Bryan Hoch.
Yankees Previous Influence In Japanese Baseball Market
The Yankees are heavily tapped into the Japanese market, having aggressively pursued Japanese stars such as Masahiro Tanaka and Hideki Matsui, as well as several other players who went to other organizations, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. The Yankees are trying to build a stronger presence in the Asian market in baseball operations and scouting; that’s something Garza has talked about since being promoted to this role, especially with the recent amateur signing of young Taiwanese high school pitcher Chien Fei Lai. The Yankees will have big competition, obviously.
But the Yankees are trying to build a future pipeline of talent from players all over the world, and Oda is one of those players to keep an eye on as he decides whether to begin his professional career in Japan or with an MLB organization. The 2026 NPB Draft is on October 23rd, and the MLB international signing period window is open until December 15th.
Yankees Reportedly In The Mix For High School Japanese Pitching Phenom