Football, food and fly balls: Yoshida fitting in at Red Sox camp

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Out on Field 1 at the Fenway South complex on Thursday, Masataka Yoshida hit fly balls deep to the opposite field with ease. Watching his fluid swing from the left side, it was easy to imagine the Japanese lefty spraying the ball off the Green Monster at Fenway Park numerous times during his rookie season.

Hitting is what comes most naturally to the left fielder, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Red Sox. The culture barrier, however, will be a bigger challenge for the 29-year-old.

That said, Yoshida is embracing the challenge of integrating himself within his new world.

Take Super Bowl Sunday, for example.

Yoshida joined manager Alex Cora and Boston’s coaching staff, plus new teammates Kiké Hernández and Trevor Story and former Red Sox catcher Christian Vázquez for a watch party. Cora hosted the festivities at his Spring Training home.

While Yoshida is well-known for being a selective hitter, the same doesn’t appear to be true at mealtime.

“He had some Puerto Rican food and, I mean, he crushed it,” said Cora. “Just being around the guys [is beneficial]. He's been here since Feb. 4. He was watching the game [with us] and hanging out with the boys and eating and trying everything.”

“All the food was great,” Yoshida added through an interpreter. “I enjoyed everything. And it was great to get to know American football and all the rules and regulations about football. They really made it easy for me to get to know each other. It was a good opportunity for me.”

The next big step for Yoshida will be gaining more confidence in his English, which will make conversations with his new teammates much easier.

“Well, you know, I’m still having a tough time, a hard time to speak exactly when I want to say it, because I can’t come up with the words to say it,” Yoshida said. “But I’ve been trying to communicate openly with all the teammates.”

By the time the summer rolls around, Yoshida might be found exploring the Freedom Trail, Boston Common or Faneuil Hall. He could also be taking in a Celtics or Bruins playoff game at TD Garden.

“I’ve heard that Boston’s a really great city and I’m really looking forward -- especially when my family comes over -- to do some touring around the city and feel the history of the city,” Yoshida said.

As far as baseball goes, it was important for Yoshida to get to Fort Myers 10 days before camp started because he will be leaving for a bit on March 2 when he joins Team Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

“I came here earlier because I want to be ready gradually,” Yoshida said. “I just didn't want to rush myself to be ready for the WBC and go right into the game situation. So it was good for me to come early and build up slowly.”

Next week, Yoshida will see Major League pitching for the first time. His first taste will be live batting practice against teammates. On Feb. 25, the Red Sox will play their Grapefruit League opener against the Braves.

“Everything is the first thing for me, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of pitches all these pitchers I’m facing will be throwing and how I will adjust to it. I'm just looking forward to that,” Yoshida said.

The real proving ground for Yoshida starts on March 30, when the Red Sox open their season at Fenway against the Orioles.

In the meantime, Cora is enthused by the way the left fielder is building his foundation.

“He will hit the ball all over the place. He’ll control the strike zone. He has a pretty good idea of what he wants to do as far as his structure and the way he goes about it,” Cora said. “There’s a reason for the whole thing. Today he tracked pitches, he went back and hit, he shagged. This guy, he gets it. He’s a veteran. He’s been there, done that. So it’s about him getting used to the whole thing.”