Boston Red Sox Masataka Yoshida./Getty Images Korea Boston Red Sox Masataka Yoshida./Getty Images Korea
[마이데일리 = 박승환 기자] Although he was called a ‘genius’ during his professional baseball days in Japan, his position in the major leagues is gradually diminishing. Masataka Yoshida, who signed a huge five-year contract worth $90 million (about KRW 123.9 billion) in the winter of 2022 and wore a Boston Red Sox uniform, missed three consecutive games. In addition, the head coach even expressed a negative opinion about the outfielder’s participation.
Yoshida was not named in the starting lineup in the 2024 MLB away game against the Cleveland Guardians held at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, USA on the 25th (Korea time). In particular, he didn’t even get the chance to play as a pinch hitter.
Yoshida, selected by the Orix Buffaloes in the first round of Japan’s professional baseball rookie draft in 2015, made a mark by appearing in 63 games in his first season with the team and posting a .290 batting average with 67 hits and 10 home runs. And in his second year, he had an excellent season without any jinx, with 71 hits and 12 home runs in 64 games, with a batting average of 0.311 and an OPS of 0.928, and took a place in the Orix outfield starting in his third year. Yoshida’s biggest charm point is his shot. Although his defensive skills are rather weak, his strengths include the ability to send batted balls over the fence at any time and precise contact despite his small stature.
Yoshida played a full-time season in 2018, recording 165 hits, 26 home runs, 86 RBI, 77 runs, a batting average of 0.321, and an OPS of 0.956 In the 2019 season, he also played in 143 games, recording 168 hits, 29 home run, 85 RBI, 92 runs, and a career-high 0.322 batting average and 0.956 OPS As the season progressed, we went on a path to success. Yoshida, who left an incredible record of 884 hits, 133 home runs, 467 RBIs, and a 0.327 batting average and 0.960 OPS over seven seasons in Japan alone, challenged himself to the major league stage through the post system after the end of the period. season 2022. And Boston gave him a huge 5-year contract worth $90 million, and he was able to enter the big league of his dreams.
Masataka Yoshida at the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC)./Getty Images Korea Boston Red Sox Masataka Yoshida./Getty Images Korea
As he achieved outstanding batting results in Japan, the interest of major league clubs in Yoshida was strong. However, there was a question mark that was worth $90 million. Regardless of how good the performance was in Japan, the general opinion was that too much money was invested in a player who had no experience as one of the main players in the league. Because of this, Yoshida was labeled ‘overpaid’.
However, the infamous term ‘overpayment’ did not last long. That’s why Yoshida brushed off concerns about his skills as he performed impressively as the lead batting line-up for the Japanese national team along with Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in March last year. Furthermore, concerns turned into expectations as he played in 18 exhibition games and left excellent results with 13 hits, 1 home run, a batting average of 0.271, and an OPS of 0.824. However, once the regular season began, Yoshida’s evaluation changed again.
Yoshida didn’t start out badly in April with 22 hits, 4 home runs, 15 RBI, and a 0.267 OPS 0.819 batting average, but in May, he jumped to 34 hits, 3 home runs, 15 RBI, and a batting average of 0.354 OPS 0.962, increasing his value. His performance seemed to dip a bit in June, but he rebounded in July with 27 hits, 3 home runs, 13 RBI, a .314 batting average, and an .844 OPS, adjusting perfectly to the stage big league good trend until the end of the season, playing 140 games.
Considering this was his first season in the big leagues, Yoshida’s bat was ‘real’. According to US ‘FanGraphs’, WAR (Contribution to Wins Above Replacement) in offense was outstanding at 4.7. But defense was the problem. Fenway Park, Boston’s home stadium, has a slightly different structure than other baseball stadiums. This is because the distance from home plate to the left field fence is short at 94.5m, but there is a ‘Green Beast’, a huge barrier 11.2m high. As a left fielder, defense is more difficult than in other stadiums. Even considering this, Yoshida’s defense was grim.
Boston Red Sox Masataka Yoshida./Getty Images Korea Boston Red Sox Masataka Yoshida./Getty Images Korea
According to ‘FanGraphs’, Yoshida’s defensive WAR last year was a miserable -18.5. The only thing Yoshida can trust is his batting, and this year, in 21 games, Yoshida has just 18 hits, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, a 0.250 batting average, and a 0.708 OPS. There is no room to hire Yoshida because his performance in attack has failed to meet expectations. As a result, on the 18th and 19th, he was banned from the starting line-up for two consecutive games despite injuries and irregular problems, and this time, he experienced the ’embarrassment’ of losing three games in a row . Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, a Boston-area magazine, said, “Yoshida was choosing his words very carefully through a translator. It was clear he was frustrated at not being able to participate in the game.”
First of all, coach Alex Cora is having a hard time due to the lackluster offense combined with the unreliable defense. Manager Alex Cora explained, “Tyler O’Neill, who returned from a concussion, has to play DH, and Rafael Devers was unable to play third base today (25th). Yoshida will come in tomorrow,” and he added, “We will use three designated hitters.” “I wish we could,” he said. In the end, they have no intention of using Yoshida as an outfielder. Yoshida has only pitched in one game this year. Even that lasted one inning the game.
With the head coach’s lack of faith in Yoshida’s outfield defense, his position is expected to become increasingly narrow as his batting continues to slump. The presence of Yoshida, who forgets all the ‘plus’ elements in the offense in the defense, deepens Boston’s concerns.
Reporter Park Seung-hwan absolute@mydaily.co.kr
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