Masataka Yoshida

Yoshida's first season in MLB came mostly as advertised. His exceptional contact rate carried over, but the rest of his game is still a work in progress. Yoshida recorded ample homers and steals to have reasonable hopes he improves in his second season. An area he can improve immediately is on-base skills. In Japan, Yoshida routinely posted double-digit walk rates, but he worked a free pass just 5.9% of the time in his rookie campaign. Only six of his 15 homers came at home, though 21 of his 33 doubles were in Fenway Park. This makes sense since Yoshida's flyball rate was just 26.9 percent. He swiped eight bases, but wasn't caught, suggesting he could run a little more. Yoshida's defense in left field was below par, which is an issue since his bat doesn't play as a full-time designated hitter. Still, Boston will continue to play Yoshida nearly every day, sitting him against some southpaws despite displaying limited platoon splits. He offers a strong batting average floor, with 20 homers and 15 stolen base upside.

Yoshida's appeal to the Red Sox, who signed him to a five-year, $90 million deal, likely centered around his ability to make contact. Across seven NPB seasons, the outfielder struck out just 9.4 percent of the time and hit .327. Those numbers were even better last year, when he rode an 8.1 K% to a .335/.447/.561 slash line and helped the Orix Buffaloes to a title. That contact ability should help him produce a solid or better average against MLB pitching, but whether he'll do enough else to live up to that free agent contract remains a question, as he offers very little with his glove and legs. His outstanding on-base ability could get him there, as he finished second among qualified NPB hitters in both strikeout rate and walk rate (15.7%) last season. He also has decent enough power, averaging 22 homers across the last five years, but it's possible he is more of a 10-to-15 homer guy against MLB pitching. His contract guarantees him significant playing time early on with Boston, but Yoshida is not a sure thing beyond his ability to hit for a high average.