and Texas’ Adolis Garcia are among a number of others who could make a strong argument for inclusion as well. New York’s Aaron Judge, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez and Los Angeles’ Mike Trout are all probably locks, and Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena, Oakland’s Brent Rooker, Chicago’s Luis Robert Jr. According to the Red Sox communications staff Yoshida is one of only two players this century to have reached base 85+ times and struck out 25 or fewer times in their first 50 career games, the other being fellow Japanese sensation and future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.Ĭould Yoshida earn a trip to the All-Star Game in Seattle? He’ll face stiff competition. Yoshida’s start has put him in rare company. “I’ve been saying it all along, the guy hits.” “His bat-to-ball skills always play, the discipline is always good, and it’s just part of the adjustment,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. 899 OPS also ranks fourth in the league among qualified outfielders, and over his past seven games Yoshida was 12 for 25 (.480) with five extra-base hits. Entering Sunday Yoshida ranked second in the AL in batting average (.314) with seven home runs, 32 RBI and more walks (23) than strikeouts (22). Since working through his rough start Yoshida has emerged as one of the most productive outfielders in the American League. The answer, it turns out, is a possible MLB All-Star. The 29-year-old could hit in Japan, sure, but what exactly were the Red Sox getting with their five-year, $90 million investment? When Masataka Yoshida first signed with the Red Sox, the reaction from across baseball was far from glowing.

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