MLB Hot Stove: Who is Japanese Free Agent Outfielder Masataka Yoshida?

Masataka Yoshida has yet to be posted from Japan by the Orix Buffaloes, but the 29-year-old is drawing interest from a number of teams. Here is all that you need to know about the potential free agent outfielder.

Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida has yet to be posted by the Orix Buffaloes, which would begin his 30-day period to sign with a Major League club, but the 29-year-old is drawing interest from a number of MLB clubs.

The window for players to be posted typically ends on December 5th, meaning there's less than two weeks for the Buffaloes to post Yoshida. Yoshida is expected to be posted, and should be highly sought after.

Yoshida was born in Fukui, Japan. He has played professionally for the Orix Buffaloes in both the Japanese Pacific League (JPL) and Japanese Western League (JPWL), since 2016.

In his seven-year pro baseball career, Yoshida has a career .326 Batting Average, .419 On Base Percentage, .957 OPS and 135 home runs.

Yoshida is a disciplined hitter with a good eye for the strike zone. He hits for contact, but also has some pop, and he walks a lot. Yoshida struck out just 8% of the time in 2022. His 5-foot-8 frame has drawn some comparisons to Dustin Pedroia as a hitter.

Defensively, there are some concerns over Yoshida's arm. He's more likely to play left field in the big leagues than right field.

Yoshida is going to be an attractive corner outfield option for a number of teams, in an interesting corner outfield market.

For more on Yoshida, check out this excellent scouting report from Ted Baarda.

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