The Tampa Bay Rays introduced newly signed Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo on Tuesday, officially welcoming him in a press conference at Tropicana Field.
"Please call me Yoshi," Tsutsugo said in English in his opening statement, after which he revealed that the Rays were the first MLB organization to express interest in signing him.
The 28-year-old former DeNA Baystar was made available to major league teams through the posting system and the Rays said the two parties finalized a two-year contract worth about $12 million two days before Tsutsugo's 30-day negotiating window closed.
Under the current posting system, the Rays have to pay a 20 percent release fee of approximately $2.4 million to the Yokohama club, subject to him passing a physical exam.
With several left-handed hitters already in the lineup, it is still undecided how manager Kevin Cash will use Tsutsugo, but the player expressed readiness to be a reliable contributor on offense and to show his defensive skills across multiple positions.
"First and foremost, I want to contribute offensively. It's possible I might play several positions but I'll do whatever it takes to help the Rays win," Tsutsugo said.
"I'm sure they expect extra-base hits from me, and the more long hits the better, but there are other ways to contribute, like on-base percentage. There's more (to baseball) than extra-base hits," he said.
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Tsutsugo will wear No. 25, the same number he used in Japan. After speaking to the media, he was helped into his new jersey by Cash and then posed for photographers.
Tsutsugo is a left-handed-hitting outfielder, who has a career average of .285 with 977 hits, 205 homers and 613 RBIs in 968 games in 10 seasons in Japan. He joined the Yokohama-based BayStars in 2010 as the No. 1 draft pick straight out of Yokohama High School.
This past season, he hit .272 with 126 hits, including 29 homers, and had 79 RBIs in 557 plate appearances.
He also appeared on the international stage as Japan's cleanup hitter in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
"I want to give 100 percent to the Rays so that I can strengthen the roster and help them win. I'm going to do my very best so that I can show DeNA and Japanese baseball fans a stunning performance," he said.
Tsutsugo said he will brush up his English before Feb. 18, when position players report to camp. The Rays will open the 2020 season at home on March 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
