FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It's not quite the same as Fenway's actual Green Monster, but for now, the reasonable facsimile that was constructed when JetBlue Park opened in 2012 will have to suffice as Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida learns the ins and outs of getting ready to play in front of Boston's famed wall.
On Thursday morning, Yoshida spent some time in the ballpark here, working with first base/outfield coach Kyle Hudson along with former Red Sox left fielder Jim Rice.
The two spoke to Yoshida about how to play caroms, positioning and other nuances that come with playing at Fenway.
"It's good to practice,'' said Yoshida through a translator. "It's really tall, but it's also a little different from (Fenway) with the netting here (above the wall). I was trying to figure out how to handle the ball bouncing back to me. Rice was focusing me on angles and how much room to leave between me and the wall.''
"He was really locked in,'' said Hudson. "As we've been going through the work, he's noticed some differences (about playing in the U.S. compared to Japan). With the grass here (most Japanese playing surfaces are artificial), he knows he can take a little bit sharper angles to some of these balls and cut down some distance. Getting him out there today and working the angles on the wall was helpful.
"Jim was out there and (Dwight Evans) was out there and they were talking a lot to him about those types of plays and kind of how we take advantage of the uniqueness of the ballpark. He was locked in. He's a tireless worker and he was super focused on that stuff.''
A big part of the preparation will be on how deep or shallow to play. The Sox don't want him playing near the warning track for fear that caroms will shoot over Yoshida's head, back to the infield. At the same time, by playing in more, he can take some line drives that would otherwise fall for singles.
"I think that's a huge part of the process,'' said Hudson. "I think it's something we're trying to talk through that with some of the analysts in Baseball Operations and decide, 'What's the most important thing for us to try to take away? Are we trying to take away the singles? Does he have ability to go back on balls?' I think we're still in a learning mode with that, being able to see it in-game. But I think left field there overall give you an opportunity to take some singles away and be aggressive, take some of those line drives away because a lot of the time, when the ball goes over your head, it's off the wall.
"We still have to have the ability to go back and make plays. So it's going to be a constant adjustment. We're still learning. It could be different for Masa and whoever else might be out there. It will be interesting once we start playing here and kind of see his ability to go back.''
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On Thursday afternoon, there was some question about Northeastern University's travel due to the winter storm in Boston and its ability to arrive in Fort Myers for Friday's game with the Red Sox. The Huskies had a flight canceled and were struggling to find another one that could accommodate their entire traveling party, which numbered 40.
Assuming the game takes place, the Red Sox will feature a lineup of: Jarren Duran (CF); Rafael Devers (3B); Kiké Hernandez (SS); Yoshida (LF); Alex Verdugo (RF); Jorge Alfaro (DH); Triston Casas (1B); Enmanuel Valdez (2B) and Stephen Scott (C).
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