Masataka Yoshida has been absolutely raking and the Red Sox outfielder has not disappointed at all in his first MLB season.
The Japanese-born outfielder Masataka Yoshida, dubbed "Macho Man" by the Red Sox and "The Japanese Barry Bonds" by former Japanese teammates, has brought every ounce of greatness he had in Japan into MLB. He has been absolutely raking this season and it's left almost all Boston fans roaring in approval for one of their only spots on consistent play so far.
Masataka Yoshida has been crushing MLB pitching
This year, Yoshida is hitting .312 with a .500 Slug and .389 OBP. His wOBA is .386 and 142 wRC+, which impressively ranks him in the top 15 of all hitters. His batting average when he puts the ball in play is .321, which while not at the top of the league is still very good. And for the type of player Yoshida is, 7 home runs is more than enough right now, as he is on pace for around 20-25. His chase rate (16.3 percent) pairs well with his barrel rate (7.8 percent) to be an elite strike zone defender.
In May and June, he is 9-27 with 11 RBIs with Runners in scoring position and 134 wRC+. He already has a great feel for the clutch in his first year of big-league action. Another great split that he has is his stats on Lefty vs Lefty at-bats with .826 OPS, .316 BABIP, which means his game does not change at all, no matter the situation, whether it's runners on base, pitchers, etc. The only reasonable thing that does change is his power numbers, as his ISO (Isolated power) goes from .221 vs RHP to .100 vs LHP.
His defense is the only lackluster part of his game, as he is in the negatives for OAA (-1), and a UZR of -0.3. It is worth noting however that he plays at Fenway Park for half of the season where every corner of the outfield presents a challenge with the dimensions and the Green Monster, and that he will play about a quarter of his games at DH, splitting time between mostly Justin Turner.
This clip from the Foul Territory Show just sums up how much fun the Red Sox have playing with Yoshida.
Masataka Yoshida will undoubtedly be a great player for a long period of time. He's a complete hitter who will provide an immense on-base boost to the top four of any lineup. He has power, contact, and a great eye. You can easily see why he is already making himself a fan favorite in Boston.
