Cincinnati Reds: Shogo Akiyama’s report card for the 2020 season

Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama got off to a rough start.

The abrupt halt to spring training and abbreviated season may have effected no one on the Cincinnati Reds more so than Shogo Akiyama. The Reds rookie outfielder struggled in the early-going with the transition from Nippon Professional Baseball to the major leagues, but was the hottest hitter down the stretch for Cincinnati.

After several successful seasons overseas in Japan, Akiyama made his big league debut in 2020. The last five seasons in NPB saw Akiyama hit over .400 four times while owning an on-base percentage over .385 every single year. He slashed .245/.357/.297 in his first year with the Reds.

The 2020 season for Akiyama was a tale of two months. With the season shortened to just 60 games, Shogo Akiyama wasn’t given much of chance to make a first impression, and Manager David Bell platooned the outfielder early and often with the likes of Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin.

Over the first 31 games of the 2020 season, Akiyama hit .196/.282/.250. However, it seemed like the Japanese star flipped a switch when the calendar flipper to September. Over the final month of the season, Akiyama hit .317/.456/.365 with three doubles, six RBIs and 11 runs scored. That is the version of Shogo Akiyama Cincinnati Reds fans had hoped to see out of the gates.

I fully expect us to see that version of Akiyama next season. After a full offseason with the team and 60 games to adjust to the speed of the major leagues, expect Akiyama to be much improved in 2021.

One area in which there can be no debate is Akiyama’s defense. Akiyama spent about one-third of his time in the familiar center field, but also spent a lot of time in left field as well. The results were outstanding, as in 381 innings in the outfield, Akiyama accounted for five defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs. Akiyama trailed only Tucker Barnhart in that category.

The one area that really stuck out to me was the lack of power. Akiyama’s slugging percentage was just .297 and he didn’t record a home run in 2020. In four of the last five seasons overseas, Akiyama had a slugging percentage of at least .470 and hit 20 or more homers in his last three seasons in Japan.

Shogo Akiyama shouldn’t be judged too harshly by his rookie season in America following a truncated spring training and 60-game season. I expect big things from Shogo in 2021, as he’ll be the Cincinnati Reds leadoff hitter.