Yoshi Tsutsugo

 is a Japanese professional baseball left fielder and first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays of MLB and the Yokohama BayStars/Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he was the youngest player in BayStars franchise history to reach 100, 150, and 200 home runs. On July 22, 2016 Tsutsugo became the first player in Nippon Professional Baseball history to have three straight multiple home run games, and in the same month he also became the first to have six multiple home run games in a month.
Professional career.
Yokohama BayStars/ Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2010–2019).
Tsutsugo made his rookie debut at age 18 for the Yokohama BayStars and played 3 games in 2010. He played 40 games in 2011, 108 games in 2012 and 23 games in 2013. His low start were due to his injuries and lack of experience adjusting to using wooden bats in professional baseball. He became a regular on the team in the 2014 season and played in 114 games. He hit 22 home runs, drove in 77 RBI, and hit .300 with an OBP of .373. In 2015, he was selected to his first NPB All-Star Game. He hit 24 home runs, drove in 95 runs, and hit .309 with an OBP of .395.
In 2016, he was selected to his second consecutive NPB All-Star Game and was the . He led with Central League in home runs (44) and RBI (110). He also had career highs in batting average (.322) and OBP (.430). Tsutsugo was selected to the next three NPB All-Star Games, winning the Kantosho (敢闘選手賞) or "Fighting Spirit Award" in all three appearances. In total, Tsutsugo appeared in five NPB All-Star Games from 2015 to 2019.
In January 2019, Tsutsugo gave a speech at the Foreign correspondents club of Japan where he criticized the harsh regimentation and focus on tournaments in youth baseball in Japan. In addition he stated that he would like to play in Major League Baseball in the future. After the 2019 season, on November 15, 2019, BayStars announced it was allowing Tsutsugo to enter the posting system to play in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Tampa Bay Rays.
On December 16, 2019, Tsutsugo signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. On March 25, 2020, he returned to Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 24, 2020, Tsutsugo was the starting third baseman, making his MLB debut on Opening Day against the Toronto Blue Jays. That day, he recorded his first MLB hit, a home run off of Hyun-jin Ryu. He finished the season hitting .197/.314/.395 with 8 home runs and 24 RBIs in 51 games.
On May 11, 2021, Tsutsugo was designated for assignment by the Rays after hitting .167 in 87 plate appearances.
Los Angeles Dodgers.
On May 15, 2021, Tsutsugo was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
International career.
Tsutsugo played for Japan national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Tsutsugo was named the Pool B Most Valuable Player after batting .364.
On August 20, 2018, he was selected for the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series, but on October 26, 2018, he canceled his participation for Samurai Japan.
Playing style.
Tsutsugo was a switch hitter throughout his amateur school career until Yokohama High School, where he became a left-handed hitter due to a discovery of a herniated disc during medical examination.