Japanese outfielder Yoshida Masataka (29), who is about to make his major league debut, is expected to hit 20 to 25 homers. The Athletic, an American sports site, predicted the Boston Red Sox’s upcoming season and highly praised Yoshida, who joined this offseason.
The media predicted that Yoshida would play in the All-Star Game because of his outstanding performance from his first year. It will take time to adapt, he said, but it will dispel industry skepticism and benefit Boston Power. This is a very favorable and optimistic outlook.
Orix Buffaloes hitter No. 4 Yoshida signed a five-year contract with Boston through the posting system last December for a total of $90 million and an average annual salary of $18 million. There was a bubble controversy in the United States over the fact that Boston invested a total of 105.4 million dollars, including posting fees.
No matter how good he was in Japan, he insisted that the difference in level from major league pitchers should be taken into account. Moreover, Yoshida is small (1m73, 85kg) by major league standards, and his outfield defense is weak. He also needs time to adjust.
The Boston team emphasizes that Yoshida recorded more than 40% on-base percentage every year, and walked a lot with few strikeouts. He is evaluated as excellent in technical aspects such as swing trajectory.
Yoshida recorded a career batting average of .3027 over seven seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He has only exceeded 20 homers in four seasons.
There have been many successful Japanese pitchers in the major leagues, but fielders have generally struggled. In the at-bat, the pitchers’ speedy velocity, and in defense, it was difficult to hit hard balls. Even the Japanese professional baseball batting champion and home run king could not avoid it.
Akiyama Shogo (34, Hiroshima), who hit 안전놀이터 216 hits, the most in a single season in 2015. As a member of the Seibu Lions, he is a slugger who has won the most hits four times and the batting king once. Akiyama returned to Japan with 71 hits and 21 RBIs without a home run for two years with the Cincinnati Reds. I checked the high wall of the major leagues
all.
Sutsugo Yoshimoto (34, FA). In 2016, when he was a member of the Yokohama Baystars, he hit 44 home runs and 110 RBIs and won two crowns. He passed 20 home runs six years in a row before transferring to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. However, in the major leagues, he only hit 18 homers and 75 RBIs in 132 games over three years. Major League Baseball was on a different level.
Seiya Suzuki (29, Chicago Cubs), who settled in the first year, also had a lot of records. He had a batting average of 3.1 7 Lee -38 home run -88 RBI in 2021 with the Hiroshima Carps, and 2.6 2 2.14 Home run -46 RBI last year with the Chicago Cubs. Home runs and RBIs were cut in half. Looking back on last season, he said, “The speed and level of pitchers differed greatly.”
Will Yoshida hit 20 homers in his first year and make it to the All-Star Game? If The Athletic goes as expected, he will be remembered as a truly special player.