Kosei Yoshida

Kosei Yoshida (吉田 輝星)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 185 lbs.

• High School Kanaashi Nogyo High School

• Born January 12, 2001 in Katagami, Akita, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kosei Yoshida has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Yoshida was a high school star in Akita, and he completed 5 consecutive games to send his school to the 2018 Summer Koshien. He completed another 5 games in the event, and Kanaashi Nogyo became the first high school from Akita to advance to the Koshien final since the 1915 Summer Koshien (the first Summer Koshien). Facing 9-time Koshien winner and the Champion of the 2018 Spring Koshien - Osaka Toin High School, Yoshida allowed 12 runs in 5 innings and got the loss to Ren Kakigi. He represented Japan in the 2018 BFA U-18 Baseball Championship, and the Nippon Ham Fighters drafted him in the first round of the 2018 NPB draft after losing the lottery for Akira Neo; the scout was Yasukatsu Shirai.

The Akita native mainly stayed in the minors in his first three seasons, and he only pitched 10 games combined with the big club. He joined the Fighters bullpen in 2022, and he collected 5 holds with a 4.26 ERA in 51 appearances. Yoshida allowed 3 runs in 3 innings in 2023, and he was traded to the Orix Buffaloes for Yuta Kuroki. He pitched well in 2024, and he notched 14 holds with a 3.32 ERA in 50 appearances. He was 7th in appearances in the Pacific League, tied with Nobuyoshi Yamada, Kazuki Sugiyama, Yuki Matsumoto and Seiryu Kotajima. He underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2025 season.

Yoshida's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 94.4 mph, a forkball, curve and a slider.

Sources

Wiki Japan