Who is Masataka Yoshida? From Orix Buffaloes' wunderkind to Nippon Professional Baseball superstar

NPB sensation Masataka Yoshida recently won the Japan Series with the Orix Buffaloes. Not since the days of the great Ichiro Suzuki did the Buffaloes (then-known as the Orix BlueWave) either have a Japan Series title, or an NPB superstar like Yoshida in their ranks.

Yoshida shone in the 2022 Nippon Professional Baseball League season. He recorded a slash line of .336/.449/.559 with an OPS of 1.007 to go along with 21 home runs and 89 RBIs.

"Orix Buffaloes star Masataka Yoshida has stated that he wants to be posted. The face of the franchise since he debuted in 2016, Yoshida is an on-base machine (career .421) who's coming off his first 1.000 OPS season, and put up a 201 wRC+. Preference is likely the #Phillies" - @ Gaijin Baseball

Yoshida wasted no time acclimating to the NPB, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 38 runs in 73 games during his rookie year in 2016, when he was only 22 years old. As Yoshida's rookie, the Buffaloes realized they had a future star on their hands almost immediately. His batting average of .296 is the lowest of his career—talk about a young stud.

Yoshida has 126 home runs, 446 RBIs, and a career batting average of .326 in seven seasons in Japan's major leagues. The outfielder has also won the Pacific League batting title twice, the Japan Series title once, four Pacific League Best Nine awards, four All-Star teams, and the NPB Home Run Derby in 2021.

Masataka Yoshida's amazing discipline

"Masataka Yoshida. Game, set, match." - @ Yakyu Cosmopolitan

With all the amazing accolades mentioned, the biggest misnomer about Masataka Yoshida is his label as a "slugger."

While it is true that Yoshida has no trouble ripping one into the stands, the more appropriate description of him is a consistent hitter. Yoshida's plate discipline is second to none, unlike many sluggers who made their name by going all in on their swings.

In 515 plate appearances for Orix in 2022, Yoshida struck out a poultry 41 times that only accounts for only 8% of all his PAs. The star outfielder also walked 82 times or 16% of his total plate appearances. Yoshida's uncanny discipline has seen him burst through all the tactics of opposing teams that even shifts in defensive positioning barely affect him getting on base.

While it is true that he could be a liability on defense, he should comfortably slot in the designated hitter role as he has done more often in the 2022 season than the rest of his NPB career.