Yoshi Tsutsugo

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #10 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Tsutsugo has spent most of his life in Yokohama, playing at Yokohama High before being drafted by the Yokohama BayStars in 2009. He has been extremely productive, hitting 205 home runs and posting a .910 OPS over 10 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He hit 44 home runs in 2016 and also hit three home runs at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Tsutsugo has some feel to hit and the ability to draw walks to go with plus power. He posts excellent exit velocities and showed in Japan that he could catch up to mid-90s fastballs while staying inside the ball. His power should translate well to the U.S. game, though he projects as more of a fringe-average hitter whose ability to draw walks makes up for his proclivity to strike out. He's a fringe-average runner at best. Tsutsugo has played third base and first base as well as left field, but he's below-average at all three spots and has mainly focused on left field in recent years. He likely will play a good bit of DH if he signs with an American League team.
  
  THE FUTURE: Tsutsugo has the power to help a major league team, especially if he is kept away from the toughest lefthanders. His makeup and temperament impress evaluators and he should be able to make the transition to a new culture and a longer season. He went to the Dominican Republic to play winter ball a few years ago, showing both his love of the game and his willingness to adapt to other cultures.

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Tsutsugo has spent most of his life in Yokohama, playing at Yokohama High before being drafted by the Yokohama BayStars in 2009. He has been extremely productive, hitting 205 home runs and posting a .910 OPS over 10 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He hit 44 home runs in 2016 and also hit three home runs at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Tsutsugo has some feel to hit and the ability to draw walks to go with plus power. He posts excellent exit velocities and showed in Japan that he could catch up to mid-90s fastballs while staying inside the ball. His power should translate well to the U.S. game, though he projects as more of a fringe-average hitter whose ability to draw walks makes up for his proclivity to strike out. He’s a fringe-average runner at best. Tsutsugo has played third base and first base as well as left field, but he’s below-average at all three spots and has mainly focused on left field in recent years. He likely will play a good bit of DH if he signs with an American League team.
  
  THE FUTURE: Tsutsugo has the power to help a major league team, especially if he is kept away from the toughest lefthanders. His makeup and temperament impress evaluators and he should be able to make the transition to a new culture and a longer season. He went to the Dominican Republic to play winter ball a few years ago, showing both his love of the game and his willingness to adapt to other cultures.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Tsutsugo has spent most of his life in Yokohama, playing at Yokohama High before being drafted by the Yokohama BayStars in 2009. He has been extremely productive, hitting 205 home runs and posting a .910 OPS over 10 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He hit 44 home runs in 2016 and also hit three home runs at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Tsutsugo has some feel to hit and the ability to draw walks to go with plus power. He posts excellent exit velocities and showed in Japan that he could catch up to mid-90s fastballs while staying inside the ball. His power should translate well to the U.S. game, though he projects as more of a fringe-average hitter whose ability to draw walks makes up for his proclivity to strike out. He's a fringe-average runner at best. Tsutsugo has played third base and first base as well as left field, but he's below-average at all three spots and has mainly focused on left field in recent years. He likely will play a good bit of DH if he signs with an American League team.
  
  THE FUTURE: Tsutsugo has the power to help a major league team, especially if he is kept away from the toughest lefthanders. His makeup and temperament impress evaluators and he should be able to make the transition to a new culture and a longer season. He went to the Dominican Republic to play winter ball a few years ago, showing both his love of the game and his willingness to adapt to other cultures.