Masataka Yoshida preparing for his second MLB season
Masataka Yoshida hit a wall in the second half of last season.
Following a strong first half, Yoshida posted a .316 average with 10 homers and an .874 OPS through 78 games. After the All-Star break, his numbers plunged into the tank, hitting just .254 with a .663 OPS.
What caused Yoshida’s downfall in the second half of the seaosn?
The 30-year-old had trouble transitioning to a full Major League Baseball schedule, especially around the travel and adjustments to time zones.
“The time difference, that was something that I didn’t get to experience in Japan,” Yoshida said through interpreter Yutaro Yamaguchi at Red Sox spring training. “That was something new to me. And in Japan, we take public transportation. Here we do charter planes and private planes. So that was something different. Sometimes after the game, we took a plane and we got to Boston early in the morning, so that was something new as well.”
Yoshida’s focus this offseason was adding strength for better overall endurance. According to The Athletic, the Red Sox sent three members of their training staff to Japan this offseason to work with the outfielder.
“It was mostly about conditioning and we constantly communicated with each other,” Yoshida said.
Another issue Yoshida dealt with last season was temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). Yoshida underwent surgery to fix the issue, per Yahoo! Japan. The pain from his jaw regularly gave him headaches and would experience pain when opening his mouth. Yoshida played through the pain, not using the issue as a reason for his struggles.
Entering his second big league season, Yoshida is expected to see the majority of his playing time and at-bats come from the DH spot. Last season, he played 87 games in left field and 49 as DH.
“It’s not like my first time doing DH,” he said. “I had experience doing DH in Japan too. So I kind of have a routine and (after) I spent one year here (with the Red Sox), I got some at-bats as a DH and I have some (major-league) routines too.”
This spring has been different for Yoshida, he played in the World Baseball Classic last year missing time with the team. Yoshida has been working with Kyle Hudson on his footwork in the outfield, playing reads off the wall and better decision-making for when he plays in the field this season.
Yoshida recorded a .977 fielding percentage while committing three errors in 133 defensive chances in left field in 2023.
Projections for Yoshida are favorable heading into 2024, with FanGraphs’ ZiPS projecting he’ll hit .295 average, .813 OPS, 16 homers and 117 OPS+. In his first season with the Red Sox, Yoshida slashed .289/.338/.445 with 15 homers and 72 RBI. He was below average at best in the field, registering a -4 grade in defensive runs saved.
