Losing Masataka Yoshida was supposed to create a void in the Orix Buffaloes’ lineup.
Yoshida had been one of the best hitters in Japan, batting .332 with 111 home runs from 2018 to 2022. He was a big reason the Buffaloes won the past two Pacific League pennants and last season’s Japan Series and was third in the PL MVP voting in 2021 and second in 2022.
So when Yoshida left the team for MLB in the offseason, the natural expectation was that the Buffaloes would take a step back without him.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times