Calzones Welcome Takahiro Yoshida

[Matt]

By Michael Atwell, Laredo Midday Times

Calzones Welcome Takahiro Yoshida

The Calzones this afternoon announced the signing of free agent first basemen Takahiro Yoshida to a 3 yr deal valued at $690,000 per season. While this signing may have gone unnoticed with the flurry of big name signings, this deal was big in it's own way. Yoshida is huge, at 6 feet 7 inches tall and 230 lbs.
At an afternoon press conference to announce the deal, GM Matt Higgins treid deflecting questions surrounding their rumored pursuit of Antonio Coronado, stating flatly at first, "We got our man." But when pressured, he did elaborate that Coronado "was out of our price range. Look at what we did this winter. Do we look like we are going to be handing out $10 million a year to mediocre ballplayers?"
When introduced a short while later, Yoshida, who speaks fluent English as well as Spanish, was asked why he chose the Calzones. "Money. No one else offered any." Asked if there was anything else that helped sway his decision, he did mention the proximity to the border and the good mexican cuisine in Laredo, as well as the opportunity to be a full time starter at the PEBA level right away.
When asked about what role Yoshida would play on the team, Gm Higgins quickly answered. "He's our starting Designated Hitter. We like Aquino at first base, he has the better glove. We brought Yoshida in to hit. He'll probably hit 6th against righthanders, maybe 5th against southpaws, depending on the matchups. Our scouts think he has the ability to give us some consistent run production. We would be happy if he hit in the .280 range. He can draw some walks and work the pitcher, giving us some decent obp in that part of the order. Scouts think his Mexican League numbers might translate to 30 doubles, 15 homers, and 75 rbi over the course of a full PEBA season. If we get that, we will be extremely pleased. Look, our scouts like this guy. Good size, good numbers wherever he has been, very intelligent, and a hard worker. You can't ask for more. We tend to think we may have scooped the biggest free agent bargain of the winter here, and we are tickled pink to have Yoshida stepping into the lineup in Laredo this season."
Yoshida will be one of four Japanese imports on the Calzones opening day roster, along with pitchers Kisho Ageda, Hiroya Kobayashi, and the much loathed Yasujiro Takata. In addition, two more Japanese imports await at AAA Joplin, catcher Shinatsu Ito, and another very large Takahiro, Takahiro Kamida.
Last year in the Mexican League, Yoshida batted .328 with a .402 obp, hitting 23 doubles, 15 hr, and driving in 86 runs in 105 games.