Nobuaki Yoshida

Nobuaki Yoshida (吉田 修章)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 170 lb.
• High School Sendai Technical High School
• Born August 10, 1981 in Sendai, Miyagi Japan

BR Minors page

Biographical information

Nobuaki Yoshida (also known as Osamu Akira Yoshida) is a former minor league baseball pitcher who played in the San Diego Padres organization from 2000 to 2003. Signed out of high school, he was the first Japanese high school player signed by the Padres.

He began his professional career in 2000, pitching for the AZL Padres and Idaho Falls Padres. He made four starts with the AZL Padres, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings, to go along with 21 strikeouts. Despite posting a 2.32 ERA in seven starts with the Idaho Falls Padres, Yoshida went 0-2 with 32 strikeouts in 31 innings. Overall, he went 1-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 11 games started. He had 10 walks and 53 strikeouts in 49 innings of work.

Yoshida played for the Fort Wayne Wizards and Eugene Emeralds in 2001. For Fort Wayne he went 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts. In 23 1/3 innings with them, he walked 13 batters and struck out only 12. With Eugene, he went 0-0 with a 1.19 ERA in eight games (three starts). He walked only four batters in 22 2/3 innings with them. Combined, he went 1-2 with a 2.54 ERA in 13 games (eight starts), despite having shoulder problems that season. In 46 innings of work, he had 17 walks and 29 strikeouts.

In 2002, Yoshida pitched for the Wizards again, going 6-10 with a 3.39 ERA in 27 games started. Although he allowed 81 runs in 156 2/3 innings, only 59 of them were earned.

He played his final season in 2003, splitting time between the Lake Elsinore Storm, Wizards, and Emeralds. For the Storm he went 0-22 with a 7.11 ERA in three starts. He gave up 20 hits, walked 10 and struck out only six in 12 2/3 innings. For the Wizards, he went 2-2 with a 1.21 ERA in 17 games (only one start), despite walking 17 batters in 22 1/3 innings and striking out only seven. For the Emeralds, he went 1-5 with a 6.03 ERA in 10 games (seven starts). In total, Yoshida went 3-7 with a 4.61 ERA in 30 games (11 starts). In 66 1/3 innings, he had 43 walks and only 31 strikeouts.

Yoshida's professional career ended after 2003. Only 21, he would not play professional baseball in America again. Overall, he went 11-21 with a 3.40 ERA in 81 games (57 starts). In 318 innings, he had 107 walks and 188 strikeouts.

Yoshida became a contractor after his baseball career ended, working on installing kitchens.