Masataka Yoshida’s had quite a bit on his plate these previous few months.
The new Red Sox outfielder has needed to alter to life in a brand new nation, get to know his new colleagues and put together for his first massive league season, all whereas taking a three-week detour to take part in arguably essentially the most extremely anticipated baseball showcase in his house nation’s historical past.
That can be sufficient to overwhelm virtually anybody, however by all accounts the Japanese standout has dealt with it with aplomb.
He’s made followers of his new teammates within the course of.
“Man he’s fantastic to be around,” mentioned fellow outfielder Rob Refsnyder. “Just great, good energy, super professional, a lot of fun to watch somebody create that much bat speed and power, it’s so sound.”
With the World Baseball Classic and now Opening Day within the rearview mirror Yoshida ought to lastly get to settle right into a extra regular routine. But even within the quick time he’s spent with the Red Sox he’s already made a powerful impression and established himself as one of many guys.
“He speaks better English than people think, he understands a little bit,” mentioned Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora, who added that Yoshida has been a pleasure to handle to this point. “It’s cool that he’s trying to communicate with us without using the translator, which is great.”
The strategy of overcoming the language barrier has been a crew effort. Refsnyder mentioned they’ve all labored on studying sure Japanese phrases to higher talk with Yoshida, and he’s gone above and past in attempting to construct crew camaraderie.
“He’s done things for us outfielders that we haven’t expected,” mentioned outfielder Adam Duvall. “I think there’s a sense of ‘let’s get to know each other and let’s build a team,’ you know?”
“He got up on the bus the other night and told a couple of stories and it was pretty funny,” Justin Turner mentioned. “I won’t go into the stories but he has a great sense of humor.”
As far as his play on the sector, Yoshida hasn’t shied away from the massive second. Though his numbers by way of two video games don’t bounce off the web page, he has come to the plate within the backside of the ninth with an opportunity to maintain a late rally and put the ball in play. In each cases the Orioles botched the play, and Saturday Adam Duvall capitalized by launching the massive walk-off house run.
Of course, for a man who’s used to enjoying for Samurai Japan, arguably essentially the most intensely scrutinized baseball crew on the planet, the brilliant lights of Boston aren’t something he hasn’t seen earlier than.
“He’s a guy I’d describe as a flatliner, his heart rate doesn’t get too high or too low,” mentioned Justin Turner. “He just stays the course the whole time which I think is a good recipe for success in this game.”
“I think the city of Boston is going to love him,” Refsnyder mentioned. “It was great to see the fans welcome him like that and I think he’s got a great personality and a guy Boston will embrace, and I think he embraces it too.”
Ramifications of Salem Red Sox sale
The announcement got here and went with little fanfare, however the latest sale of the Salem Red Sox might have important ramifications for these hoping to see a return {of professional} baseball to Lowell.
The Salem membership, which at the moment serves because the Red Sox Low-A affiliate, was bought by Fenway Sports Group to Diamond Baseball Holdings, the identical entity that just lately bought the Portland Sea Dogs and has quickly constructed the biggest portfolio of minor league franchises within the sport.
Like with its different acquisitions, DBH is retaining Salem’s present entrance workplace and has pledged to put money into the membership’s operations, expertise and gameday expertise. Overall the group has introduced the acquisitions of 16 minor league golf equipment and has professed a need to get to twenty or extra.
Why does that matter for Lowell?
If any Red Sox affiliate is ever going to return to Lowell, the Salem Red Sox are the one viable choice. The membership performs in an ageing ballpark removed from Boston’s house market and its lease is because of expire after the 2024 season.
One of the primary the explanation why the Lowell Spinners had been contracted was due to the situation of LeLacheur Park. But final summer time the City of Lowell agreed to promote the power to the UMass Building Authority, and UMass President Marty Meehan has pledged tens of millions in ballpark upgrades whereas expressing assist for attracting a Red Sox affiliate again to Lowell.
Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy has additionally notably and repeatedly refused to shut the door on a attainable return to the Merrimack Valley.
“It still remains a possibility, all the stars have to align properly for a league, where the club would play,” Kennedy mentioned in late February. “But we always keep that possibility open and we obviously had such a great connection with the City of Lowell for so many years.”
Whether in Salem or Lowell ballpark upgrades are going to be wanted, and the private-equity backed DBH has the monetary muscle to make the enhancements wanted to fulfill MLB’s new minor league facility requirements.
The query now could be the place these investments might be made, so relying on how issues go the DBH sale might finally herald the important thing to Lowell’s minor league dream or sign its finish.
Volpe’s arrival alerts new period in Bronx
How cool a narrative is Anthony Volpe?
Here’s a child who grew up a Yankees fan in Morristown, N.J., a brief 45-minute drive from Yankee Stadium. He was eight years previous when Derek Jeter led the Yankees to their most up-to-date World Series championship in 2009, and a decade later Volpe acquired the possibility to observe in his idol’s footsteps when the Yankees made him their first-round choose within the 2019 MLB Draft.
“It’s pretty crazy to think about and humbling that other people would make that connection. I was such a big fan growing up, there’s not going to be another player like him,” Volpe mentioned in Fort Myers earlier this month. “I’m just trying to be the best version of myself I can be.”
Now he’s formally arrived, changing into the Yankees’ youngest Opening Day shortstop since Jeter in 1995.
The 21-year-old Volpe made his MLB debut on Thursday, going 0 for two with a stroll within the Yankees’ 5-0 Opening Day win over San Francisco. The high prospect’s promotion was trigger for celebration all through Yankee nation, however greater than that, it’s additionally a promising signal that MLB’s efforts to curb service-time manipulation are working.
Though golf equipment would by no means admit it, MLB-ready prospects like Volpe have lengthy been held again to delay their eventual free company by a yr. The most notorious instance got here in 2015, when the Chicago Cubs waited till two weeks after Opening Day to name up high prospect Kris Bryant, who would ultimately go on to win NL Rookie of the Year.
As a part of baseball’s new labor deal golf equipment now have incentives to advertise high prospects for Opening Day. The Seattle Mariners, as an example, acquired the No. 29 general choose on this yr’s draft after high prospect Julio Rodriguez began from the start and flourished into considered one of baseball’s brightest stars.
Would Volpe have began the season on the Opening Day roster in previous years? There’s no strategy to know for positive, however the truth younger stars like him are being elevated and celebrated is a superb signal for the sport’s future.
New Bedford’s Shuster set to debut
Less than three years after being chosen as a first-round choose within the 2020 MLB Draft, New Bedford’s Jared Shuster is about to make his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves right this moment.
The former Tabor Academy standout, who went No. 25 general out of Wake Forest, rocketed by way of the minor league ranks and entered the season as Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect after posting a 3.29 ERA in 25 begins break up between Double and Triple-A in 2022.
This spring he earned his place within the massive league rotation after posting a 1.45 ERA with 18 strikeouts and simply 4 walks in 18.2 innings, holding opponents to a .115 common in Grapefruit League competitors. He’ll take the hill right this moment when the Braves face the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park at 1:35 p.m.
Source: www.bostonherald.com