Masataka Yoshida came over from Japan last season and in his first season with the Boston Red Sox, showed he can certainly hit MLB pitching.
Yoshida was a key bat in the Red Sox order and he finished the 2023 campaign leading the team with a .289 batting average to go along with 15 home runs, 72 RBIs and eight stolen bases.
His plate discipline, which he was known for when he signed a five-year, $90 million deal with Boston last offseason, was there too with Yoshida striking out 81 times in 580 plate appearances. The 30-year-old had the 10th-best strikeout rate among all qualified hitters in the big leagues.
The Red Sox will look for Yoshida to build off those results as his comfort level surely will be greater with having to make fewer adjustments during his second season with Boston. And Yoshida is keeping his approach simple when targeting goals for this season.
