If Masataka Yoshida is not, at the very least, a finalist for the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year award, so help me, I swear.
He’s technically a rookie, which I will never understand. But if this is the only way Masataka gets any recognition due to him, then so be it.
The Red Sox were crapped on for signing Yoshida.
Masa didn’t make the A.L. All-Star team despite being more deserving than more than a few outfielders who did make the team.
Is this heading in the direction of a full-on conspiracy not to acknowledge how good he really is?
Yoshida has picked up where he left off in the World Baseball Classic, if not arguably been even better.
A.L. Rookie of the Year Masataka Yoshida’s Chance at Recognition
Embed from Getty ImagesMasataka Yoshida won’t get A.L. Rookie of the Year honors if the disrespect continues, as is how things are trending.
But he’s more than worthy of it.
The 30-year-old outfielder is among the best rookie hitters in all MLB, arguably the best rookie hitter statistically in 2023, and is among the best hitters in the A.L., rookie or not.
Among all qualified rookies in the majors, Yoshida is first in walk-to-strikeout ratio and infield hits. He is 2nd in strikeout rate, batting average, on-base percentage, and at-bats-per-strikeout ratio. Masa ranks 3rd in RBI, OPS, wRC+, OPS+, total bases, and offensive WAR. He’s also 4th in extra-base hits and top-10 in homers and slugging percentage.
Masataka is first in strikeout rate, OBP, and AB/K among qualified American League rookies. He’s 2nd in RBI, AVG, OPS, OPS+, oWAR, and XBH. And he’s 3rd in wRC+, 4th in SLG, 6th in homers, plus 8th in walk rate.
A.L. Rookie of the Year is Masataka Yoshida’s best chance to get some well-earned recognition finally.
Masa’s One of A.L.’s Better Hitters
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Native of Japan isn’t just a good hitter among rookies.
His .317 average is 3rd in the American League, pre-All-Star break. His .381 on-base is 4th. Masa’s .883 OPS ranks 5th, and his 140 wRC+ ranks 6th. Yoshida also ranks 2nd in strikeout rate (10.9 percent), 14th in SLG (.502), 21st in doubles, 30th in RBI (50), and 34th in hard-hit rate (42.8 percent).
The Red Sox’s $90 million man has been even better since 4/20.
From 4/20-7/9, Masataka Yoshida ranks first in the A.L. in AVG; 2nd in OBP, OPS, and strikeout rate; 4th in wRC+; and 8th in SLG.
What more needs to be said? What more does Masa need to do?
There were questions about his ability to hit velocity. He’s doing that.
There were questions about his power potential. He’s got some of that, more than the critics believed, ranking in the 75th percentile in xSLG, with 11 home runs already, more than a few extra-base hits and doubles.
Yoshida is extremely contact oriented (85 percent contact rate), yes, but he hits the ball hard, too (62nd percentile hard-hit rate), and has a “clutchness” about him that makes up for any defensive deficiencies.
Masataka isn’t at all what critics thought; however, he’s been pretty much exactly what the Red Sox told us he’d be.
The disrespect is appalling. If not outright winning the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year award, Masataka Yoshida being a finalist would be a first step in righting more than a few wrongs.
Recognize him somehow, dang it! That’s all I ask.
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