Masataka Yoshida

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Medium
  
  Track Record: Yoshida represented Japan in tournaments worldwide as an amateur and was drafted by Orix in the first round of the 2015 NPB draft. He debuted a year later and quickly blossomed into one Japan's top pure hitters, making four All-Star games and winning back-to-back Pacific League batting titles in 2020-21. He led Orix to its first Japan Series championship in 26 years in 2022 and was posted after the season, concluding a run in which he hit .327 over seven NPB seasons. The Red Sox signed him for five years and $90 million and paid a $15.4 million posting fee.
  
  Scouting Report: Yoshida is undersized at 5-foot-8, but he's strong in his frame. He has a quick, flat swing from the left side and consistently barrels balls with his elite hand-eye coordination. He has good rhythm and balance in the batter's box and is able to hit multiple pitch types, including the high-velocity fastballs he'll see in MLB. Yoshida is an aggressive hitter who attacks pitches early in counts and mostly hits hard line drives from gap to gap. He shows plus raw power in batting practice and had three 20-home run seasons in Japan, but his power projects to be fringy in MLB. He will have to add loft to his swing and learn to hit the ball out front better to access more power against big league pitching. Yoshida's value is tied almost exclusively to his bat. He's a below-average runner and below-average defender in left field whose range is severely limited. He plays hard and catches what is hit to him, but he struggles to reach balls in the gap or down the line. He has below-average arm strength that limits him to left field.
  
  The Future: Yoshida projects to hit for average in MLB but will have to access more power to be an everyday left fielder. If he doesn't, his contact and on-base skills from the left side should still make him a solid contributor.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 40. Fielding: 40. Arm: 40

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #87 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Medium
  
  Track Record: Yoshida represented Japan in tournaments worldwide as an amateur and was drafted by Orix in the first round of the 2015 NPB draft. He debuted a year later and quickly blossomed into one Japan's top pure hitters, making four All-Star games and winning back-to-back Pacific League batting titles in 2020-21. He led Orix to its first Japan Series championship in 26 years in 2022 and was posted after the season, concluding a run in which he hit .327 over seven NPB seasons. The Red Sox signed him for five years and $90 million and paid a $15.4 million posting fee.
  
  Scouting Report: Yoshida is undersized at 5-foot-8, but he's strong in his frame. He has a quick, flat swing from the left side and consistently barrels balls with his elite hand-eye coordination. He has good rhythm and balance in the batter's box and is able to hit multiple pitch types, including the high-velocity fastballs he'll see in MLB. Yoshida is an aggressive hitter who attacks pitches early in counts and mostly hits hard line drives from gap to gap. He shows plus raw power in batting practice and had three 20-home run seasons in Japan, but his power projects to be fringy in MLB. He will have to add loft to his swing and learn to hit the ball out front better to access more power against big league pitching. Yoshida's value is tied almost exclusively to his bat. He's a below-average runner and below-average defender in left field whose range is severely limited. He plays hard and catches what is hit to him, but he struggles to reach balls in the gap or down the line. He has below-average arm strength that limits him to left field.
  
  The Future: Yoshida projects to hit for average in MLB but will have to access more power to be an everyday left fielder. If he doesn't, his contact and on-base skills from the left side should still make him a solid contributor.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 40. Fielding: 40. Arm: 40
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Medium
  
  Track Record: Yoshida represented Japan in tournaments worldwide as an amateur and was drafted by Orix in the first round of the 2015 NPB draft. He debuted a year later and quickly blossomed into one Japan's top pure hitters, making four All-Star games and winning back-to-back Pacific League batting titles in 2020-21. He led Orix to its first Japan Series championship in 26 years in 2022 and was posted after the season, concluding a run in which he hit .327 over seven NPB seasons. The Red Sox signed him for five years and $90 million and paid a $15.4 million posting fee.
  
  Scouting Report: Yoshida is undersized at 5-foot-8, but he's strong in his frame. He has a quick, flat swing from the left side and consistently barrels balls with his elite hand-eye coordination. He has good rhythm and balance in the batter's box and is able to hit multiple pitch types, including the high-velocity fastballs he'll see in MLB. Yoshida is an aggressive hitter who attacks pitches early in counts and mostly hits hard line drives from gap to gap. He shows plus raw power in batting practice and had three 20-home run seasons in Japan, but his power projects to be fringy in MLB. He will have to add loft to his swing and learn to hit the ball out front better to access more power against big league pitching. Yoshida's value is tied almost exclusively to his bat. He's a below-average runner and below-average defender in left field whose range is severely limited. He plays hard and catches what is hit to him, but he struggles to reach balls in the gap or down the line. He has below-average arm strength that limits him to left field.
  
  The Future: Yoshida projects to hit for average in MLB but will have to access more power to be an everyday left fielder. If he doesn't, his contact and on-base skills from the left side should still make him a solid contributor.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 40. Fielding: 40. Arm: 40