Japanese High School pitcher wants to go to MLB

[thedude]

Japanese high school pitcher Shohei Otani says he will pursue a career in Major League Baseball instead of turning professional in Japan.

Shohei Otani, a right-hander whose fastball has surpassed 99 mph, has been scouted by several MLB teams including the Dodgers and Red Sox.
Otani, a 6-foot-4 right-hander who has thrown a fastball between 99 and 100 mph, has been scouted by several major league teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox

If he signs with a major league team, Otani would become the first potential top draft pick to make the direct jump from a Japanese high school to the U.S.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/85329 ... opting-mlb

Interesting development, since it circumvents the posting system.

[A Fleshner Fantasy]

The guy's supposed to be really good, but you never really know. It would be interesting to see if it starts a trend of other Japanese pitchers doing the same thing.

[Element]

Get it done, Ned!

[mweir145]

Very interesting. I've wanted to see somebody challenge that ridiculous posting system by doing this for quite some time.

[GiantsFan14]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72yYGZygE9s