January 8, 2022
The Toronto Blue Jays signed minor league free agent Gosuke Katoh this month. Katoh’s deal also includes an invite to major league spring training next month.
For those not familiar with Katoh, he was the New York Yankees’ 2nd round pick in 2013 who has spent eight seasons in the minors split between the Yankees’ and Padres’ organizations.
Playing most recently in El Paso, the Triple-A affiliate of the Padres, Katoh put up big numbers at the plate.
Slashing .306/.388/.474 with an OPS of .862 after 350 at-bats; with El Paso definitely made Katoh an intriguing free agent on the market this off-season.
“Consistency was the major thing,” Katoh said of his 2021 season. “I’m always striving to be more consistent than the previous season through swing and approach changes.”
Another intriguing aspect to Katoh’s game is his ability to play up and down the lineup, as weel as playing anywhere in the infield or the corner outfield spots as needed.
“My favorite position is being in the lineup,” said Katoh. “I believe one of my strengths is the ability to change into a different player every game based on what the team needs whether that’s position I’m hitting in the lineup, or what the game script needs.”
And Katoh is excited for his new opportunity, as he is familiar with a lot of the players on the Blue Jays’ roster.
“Coming up through the Yankees system, I played against Blue Jays affiliates quite often,” stated Katoh. “I came up playing against the current core of players such as Guerrero Jr., Bichette, Biggio, and Gurriel Jr. The elite offensive abilities of not just those players, but the entire organization has always been fun to watch. I’m eager to learn what organizational philosophies are behind many homegrown Blue Jays players.”
Welcome Gosuke Katoh!