Yoshi Tsutsugo putting up big numbers, proving to be 'pitcher's nightmare' for Pirates

Whether Yoshi Tsutsugo is a man of few words or it’s lost in translation, the Japanese slugger simply has shrugged at his success since signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates in mid-August.

After Tsutsugo smashed a Kyle Hendricks curveball 404 feet and off the right-field scoreboard at Wrigley Field on Sept. 4: “I was glad it was a home run. I didn’t care how far it went.”

The left-handed hitter had a similar reaction after lining a single to the opposite field to beat the shift and drive in the winning run against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 14: “I’m not really thinking about where I hit it that much, to be honest.”

If Tsutsugo appears to prefer to allow his bat to do the talking, his numbers through 32 games with the Pirates are screaming in a way that belies his soft-spoken nature. He’s batting .314 (27 for 86) with a 1.098 OPS, which ranks as the fifth-most in the majors since Aug. 16. Of his 16 extra-base hits, eight are home runs, and he has 22 RBIs. Tsutsugo has homered once every 10.8 at-bats for the Pirates.

“He’s got a lot of juice, and he’s fun to watch,” Pirates left-hander Dillon Peters said. “He’s a pitcher’s nightmare, whether that’s a lefty or a righty. He’s always a threat for the ball to leave the yard.”

Perhaps the most eye-popping statistic is how Tsutsugo is hitting with runners in scoring position, a category in which the Pirates rank as the worst team in baseball. Tsutsugo is batting .526 (10 for 19) with a double, a triple, two home runs and 15 RBIs.

“I don’t think he tries to do too much, and I think the one thing we have to realize with Yoshi is this guy played a lot of games in Japan and he’s got a lot of experience,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “And although he’s only played a little bit in the major leagues, he has a ton of experience in those situations and was a run producer. So I think the fact that he doesn’t try to do too much is the biggest thing.”

After spending 10 seasons in the Japanese Central League — where he slashed .285/.382/.528 and hit 205 home runs, including a career-best 44 in 2016 — Tsutsugo signed a two-year, $12-million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays in late 2019. He had eight homers and 24 RBIs in 51 games last season but batted .197. After hitting .167 in 26 games this year, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers but batted .120 in 12 games before being demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Tsutsugo appears to have found a home in the Pirates’ lineup, whether he’s playing first base and batting cleanup or playing right field and batting second, behind Ke’Bryan Hayes and before Bryan Reynolds.

“He’s done a nice job. He’s taking good swings,” Shelton said after Monday’s 9-5 loss, when Tsutsugo homered and had an RBI single with an exit velocity of 106.2 mph. “He continues to have consistent at-bats, consistent swings. … I feel really good about him hitting there in front of Bryan.”

When Tsutsugo arrived, it was with a reputation that he couldn’t catch up to elite velocity. After hitting .159 against fastballs last season, he has improved to .239 this year, according to Statcast.

While his average has dropped from .275 to .192 against breaking pitches, he’s faring better against off-speed pitches (.250, compared to .207 last year). Of his eight homers, Tsutsugo has hit three on four-seamers, two on changeups and one each on a curveball and slider.

“He’s a really good hitter. The league that he was playing in before he came to the States, he showed he was a really good hitter,” Hayes said. “Maybe just that new fresh scenery, maybe that helped. That helps with a lot of guys. But just the way he goes about his work every day, he looks like a really good hitter. … He has power to both gaps. He’s not just a pull hitter. He knows how to hit.”

That is most evident when the Pirates use Tsutsugo in pinch-hit situations. He’s thriving in that role, batting .625 (5 for 8) with two doubles, three homers and five RBIs.

The Pirates knew Tsutsugo had power, Shelton said, and he’s shown the ability to drive the ball in the gap and handle at-bats.

“I think the one thing that really stands out about Yoshi is the moment never gets too big for him,” Shelton said, “and because of that he can come in and handle it.”

His ability to play first base and both corner outfield spots — though Shelton prefers him in right because of his limited range — makes Tsutsugo a good fit with the Pirates. The downside of his short-term success is Tsutsugo has made himself more attractive on the free-agent market, especially if MLB adopts the universal designated hitter.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said he hasn’t spoken to Tsutsugo “about anything past this year” and plans to wait until after the season concludes to have such conversations.

Right field is open but first baseman Colin Moran has two more years of team control, and prospect Mason Martin is waiting in the wings.

“Certainly he’s made a great impression,” Cherington said of Tsutsugo earlier this month. “We’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. He’s swung the bat really well. We feel like we’ve known him for a while back to work by our Far East crew when he was in Japan. But, obviously, now getting to know him better here, it’s been fun. We’ll see where that leaves us after the season.”