Spotlight on Tadahito Iguchi

Spotlight on Tadahito Iguchi
Originally uploaded by SmoothRT.

The first unsung hero of the White Hot Sox I'm reviewing is Tadahito Iguchi. This Japanese import was signed during the offseason and has established himself as one of the leading candidates for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He is a well rounded player who demonstrated all five tools in his first few months in the MLB. While the ChiSox offense was struggling in the early part of the season, he was the only hitter to keep his average well above .300 during that time, and provide a badly needed boost in the lineup. Batting second in the order, Iguchi must be patient at the plate to allow Scott Podsednik to show off his speed and steal bases. This is a difficult role to fill, but Iguchi has come through masterfully, still batting around .290 and showing off his power numbers when possible (5 HR, 31 RBI, 3 triples). More importantly, he has fit in very well with the White Sox Ozzie/small ball approach in providing good speed (9 SB and 35 R) and stellar defense (only 5 E with a .982 FPCT). Most certainly, Iguchi is a solid player with plenty of Japanese baseball experience, and at 30 years-old, should be a key player on the White Sox roster for at least a few years to come.