Yu Darvish (40) of the San Diego Padres advised Shoki Oda (18), Japan’s top prospect who has declared his intention to enter Major League Baseball, that it would be better to gain experience in Japan before going to the major leagues.

Japanese media outlet Lonspo reported on the 4th, “Although he declared his challenge to the major leagues, Shoki Oda, who was selected by the Yomiuri Giants in the rookie draft, will begin meeting with major league clubs starting today. In a situation where Oda is effectively refusing Yomiuri’s selection, Darvish expressed the opinion that he does not recommend going straight to the major leagues.”

Darvish is a veteran who has pitched 297 major league games (1,778 innings) with a 115-93 record and a 3.65 ERA, and 167 Nippon Professional Baseball games (1,268 1/3 innings) with a 93-38 record and a 1.99 ERA. He was a first-round pick by Nippon-Ham in the 2004 NPB rookie draft, played in Japan through 2011, and moved to the major leagues in 2012 and played there.

Oda drew attention this year at the Koshien tournament (Japan high school baseball national championship) by throwing 156 kph, setting the tournament’s top velocity record. His career top speed reaches 157 kph. He also showed outstanding pitching at the 14th U-18 Asian Championship held in Taiwan last September. Thanks to these performances, Oda received love calls from major league clubs and held an official press conference on the 15th of last month to announce his move to the United States. Nevertheless, Yomiuri’s selection of Oda in the first round of the rookie draft became a topic of conversation.

With Yomiuri appearing likely to go to great lengths to keep Oda in Japan, Darvish also backed the option of staying in Japan. Responding to a listener’s question on a podcast, Darvish said, “I do not recommend challenging the major leagues immediately after graduating high school,” adding, “Putting aside whether Oda will succeed or fail, realistically I do not recommend challenging the major leagues immediately after graduating high school.”

Darvish said, “Going through a Japanese club certainly increases the chances of playing in the major leagues. However, if you want to experience American culture from a young age, want to learn English, or plan to live long-term in the United States, I don’t think it’s a bad choice.”

Emphasizing that “the minor leagues are in very poor condition,” Darvish explained, “Although it has improved a lot now, at first you have to start in the rookie league and gradually move up to Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. You always have to produce results, including in terms of environment. Unless a club gives you special treatment, which is rare, it can be an extremely arduous path.”

Darvish said, “Rather than suffering in the minor leagues, I think it’s better to sign with a Japanese club from the start and include a condition that posting will be allowed automatically after four to five years. If you develop your skills in Japan and then move to the major leagues, you can play in the majors without going through the minor leagues,” and added, “If my sons were aiming for the major leagues, I think it’s better to join a Japanese club, play and achieve good results, and then come to the United States rather than being drafted in the U.S. draft and going straight there.”

In fact, Nippon Professional Baseball has been an active pathway for superstars to move to the major leagues. Shohei Ohtani, who has now become one of the major league’s best players, also tried to go directly to the major leagues after high school graduation but decided to remain in Japan after convincing from Nippon-Ham and played five seasons before heading to the major leagues.

However, when Darvish’s remarks became a topic of conversation, he emphasized on his social media, “Yesterday I talked about how difficult it is to join an MLB club immediately after graduating high school. But that was not about what choice Oda should make; it was simply conveying an objective fact. People have different reasons for challenging themselves, and the bigger the dream the better. Whatever route it is, I want to support the player’s decision,” stressing that he respects Oda’s choice.

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