Masanao Yoshida held a press conference at the ORIX players’ dormitory and expressed his gratitude
Expectations are high for outfielder Masanao Yoshida, who moved from Orix to the Red Sox using the posting system. A large 90 million dollar (about 11.86 billion yen) contract for 5 years. It’s only natural that it’s the most ever for a defensive back from Japan, surpassing the Cubs’ outfielder Seiya Suzuki. He has already garnered a lot of attention as a low-strike hitter in the United States and has received the attention of Red Sox fans. It seems that the first enemy Yoshida has to overcome is “pressure”.
On the 22nd, the press conference held at the ORIX players’ dormitory “Seitokan” in Maishima, Osaka was to be a departure greeting for Japanese fans. After expressing his gratitude to all the people who have been involved so far, he said, “What I do is do my best like I did in Japan. Then, I want to grow up learning new things in America.
However, he seems to be feeling the pressure of the huge contract quickly. As for the evaluation, I answered while choosing the words: “Well, how about it? Well, this is also a business, or in the majors, there will be more and more things like this. I think these things are different from Japan.” . Also, “Well, recently, even if I take a taxi, I’m told I can’t take it, and while I was wondering if I could be seen with that kind of eye, yes, there are changes,” he said with some of confusion.
The main challenges for the Japanese defenders are by no means easy. Mr. Ichiro, who is a great elder of ORIX, has achieved great success, but the next generation tends to struggle with Shohei Otani as a special case. Under such circumstances, considering only the degree of expectation for the amount of money, it would not be surprising if the results of the Ichiro class and the Otani class were required. In addition to the technical aspects, there are things that must be overcome mentally. In that sense, a tough battle awaits.
