MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red Sox

by | Oct 12, 2023 | Baseball, Future Watch, Future Watch - Baseball, Sports

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MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red SoxMLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red Sox – Masataka Yoshida had an entire career in Japan as a star outfielder. Then he set his sights on breaking into major league baseball. In December of 2022, the Sox offered him a 5-year contract. Once it was accepted, a new journey was ready to begin. Take a look at how good Yoshida was before he started hitting at Fenway Park.

Yoshida was 22 in 2016, his first season with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. He hit 10 home runs with 34 RBI and a .290 batting average. Yoshida only had 231 at-bats.
Over the years, the home runs and RBI increased, and in 2018 he slugged 37 doubles with 26 home runs and 86 RBI with a .321 batting average. The next year, he hit 29 home runs with 85 RBI, and his batting average rose to .323.

In 2020, he hit .351. He had a career-high 89 RBI and hit a stellar .336 in 2022. Yoshida was a massive star, but at the age of 28, there were other challenges out there.

In spring training, Yoshida was 3 for 13 with a homer and two RBI. Clearly, there would be a learning curve. There are a lot of differences between Japanese and American baseball. The pitching is probably the biggest one.

Yoshida became a productive player in his rookie season. He had 33 doubles, 3 triples, 15 home runs with 72 RBI, and a .289 batting average. While he didn’t steal much in Japan, he had 8 MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red Soxthis season. He had the third most RBIs and second-highest batting average on the team. In the outfield, he had 5 assists and only made 3 errors. It was a fine rookie season, and every collector should want him because he can improve upon this season.

MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Cards Worth Chasing

One card to get is Yoshida’s 2023 Topps Chrome Rookie. The design is great, and the blue uniform with the Red Sox logo looks great. It’s a good action photo too.

Another card is his 2023 Bowman Baseball. It features a shot of him jogging presumably after scoring a run.

His 2023 Topps Finest Rookie shows his full swing. It’s a great shot in his classic Red Sox uniform. The fans already love him, and collectors seem very fond of him as well.

MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red Sox – Stats

MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red SoxStatistical image generated on Sports Reference as of 10/12/2023.

MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red Sox – More Resources

MLB Future Watch: Masataka Yoshida Baseball Cards, Boston Red Sox – Image Gallery

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For more from Russ Cohen, follow him on Twitter @sportsology.

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