Tadahito Iguchi

Today's (August 17) Nikkan Sports speculates that the Boston Red Sox are the most likely team, based on that the R-Sox have had the most frequent scouting presence at Daiei games. (Hey, I just translate the stuff. Really, I'm not making up the reasoning.)

Furthermore, they say that Iguchi had a promise before the season started that he may be posted at the end of the season if he wished. If I read correctly, it's part of a promise made by the team after his rookie year of 1997. A representative stated that after an investigation to see if such a promise was made, he couldn't say that Iguchi was told that he couldn't [be posted]. (A round about way of saying that there might have been such a promise.)

On the down side, Iguchi still isn't living up to his #1 draft pick expectations. He's only hitting .252 (which would actually be his second higest career batting average) and is ranked 3rd in stollen bases with 18 (after winning the stolen base title with 44 last season), 7 behind front running Matsui. He is also expected to have surgery after the end of the season for his shoulder that's been bothering him since last fall.

Iguchi was named to the Best Nine and won a Golden Glove award last season (2001). His career stats can be found here.

That's as far as I can confirm this rumor. So, the question is, is the shortstop or second base position open in Boston?

So, the question is, is the shortstop or second base position open in Boston?

Nomar Garciaparra, who's batting .310 this season with 20 HR and 95 RBI, will be the Red Sox shortstop for the foreseeable future. Second base is a possibility, but Iguchi's slick fielding skills would be wasted at that position, IMO. I hope he ends up with a team that will play him at short.

I agree. I can't see the Sox making a move for an infielder, certainly not a shortstop. Nomar is a fixture and they've got a real solid prospect in the minors named Sanchez. At third, Shea Hillenbrand is having a breakout season, is very young and was an All-Star in this, his second season. At 2nd, Rey Sanchez (no relation to the guy in the minors) is a stud. A veteran though, in his early 30's, I think. That might (might) be what they're thinking.

I'm just fishing for an update on Iguchi. Any new information on if/when he is going to be posted? Is he definitely coming to MLB or is there a chance he will return to Japan for another year?

Thanks. Very nice forum, by the way.

Looks to me like he is another Taguchi So.
or Shinjo at best.

I agree that he'll probably be another Taguchi, just because Iguchi has never hit for a high average here despite a ton of protection in the lineup, but let's not put Taguchi in the same sentence as Shinjo.

Shinjo is playing in his 2nd full season in the bigs while Taguchi couldn't even stick with a AAA team for a full season.

Taguchi is toast. He can pretty much kiss his MLB career goodbye. It's no consolation, but since he got at least 1 at-bat with St. Louis it'll put his name in the Baseball Encyclopedia as having played in the Major Leagues.

> I agree that he'll probably be another Taguchi, just
> because Iguchi has never hit for a high average here
> despite a ton of protection in the lineup.

Iguchi had a 30-30 season in 2001, no small feat in a 140 game schedule, and hitting 30 homers with half of your games at spacious Fukuoka Dome is pretty impressive as well. Furthermore, Tadahito batted .261/.346/.475 in 2001; an OPS of 821, with 97 RBI and 44 SB. That's excellent production for a shortstop. For comparison, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees produced an 858 OPS with 74 RBI and 27 SB that same season and Miguel Tejada of the Oakland A's had an 801 OPS with 113 RBI and 11 SB. Keep in mind that the Majors play 22 more games than NPB. Plus, Iguchi is a gold glove defender.

I'm not saying Iguchi will be Jeter or Tejada, but let's ease off the Taguchi comparisons.

I've been out of the loop for the last week since my Japanese girlfriend has been in town, but I'm rather surprised at this development. First of all, Iguchi gets lots of at bats against the Kintetsu Buffaloes, not to mention that the PL has the worst pitching of the two leagues. Moreover, Tomohiro Kuroki is out for the season and Daisuke Matsuzaka has missed significant time to further dilute that quality of PL arms (though one can perhaps argue that the addition of Chang at Seibu and the emergence of Koo at Orix compenstates for that).

The biggest disadvantage he has had was that he didn't get to step in against his own pitching staff. In any event, looking at his average over the last couple of seasons, I'm not sure that he will hit that well in MLB. His other tools are okay, I think. Considering that Daiei really doesn't have any viable replacement for him and that they are likely to lose Hiroki Kokubo to MLB after 2003, I'm puzzled as to why they would make the move. One of Tetsuro Kawajiri's contentions was that Hanshin said they would be willing to post him to MLB and then reneged. Daiei could get away with doing the same with Iguchi.

One must wonder what these guys are thinking. Do they not understand their own limitations? A nice enough career in Japan isn't enough? Guys like Shinjo have proven that only very talented hitters can be successful in MLB. Pitching is another story, but if you can't swing the bat at home, don't expect it to be better on the other side.

His 2002 stats don't suggest he'd do well in the majors. A .245 average with only 23 walks and 14 homers in 101 games isn't sterling if he were doing that against major league competition, and Japanese ball isn't quite at that level yet. Even if he's an absolute wizard with the glove, those kind of numbers *might* get you a starting spot, but they might *not*. If he's anything less than that with the glove, forget it. If he could sustain his 2001 numbers, *then* his chances are *much* better. However, he *hasn't* done that. Frankly, if I were a major league team, I wouldn't be chomping at the bit to pay big dollars to get him. Daiei should realize the market for him won't be good, and therefore the *only* reason they would have to post him would be to honor a promise they made to Iguchi.

Jim Albright

Although I agree that Iguchi's number are slightly inflated, and that the market for him would've been much better if the Hawks had posted him during the 2001 off-season, I think he could play everyday in the majors, where there are plenty of shortstops starting despite a sub-.700 OPS (through 8/22, Iguchi's OPS was .699), including:

'All Star' Jimmy Rollins (.701), Rich Aurilia (.693), Deivi Cruz (.695), Cristian Guzman (.681), Orlando Cabrera (.675), Barry Larkin (.661), Royce Clayton (.661), Tony Womack (.665), Jack Wilson (.645), Juan Uribe (.612), Rey Ordonez (.601), Neifi Perez (.558) and Cesar Izturis (.551).

His .306 OBA is competitive as well, despite the K's.

Tony Womack (.316), Jimmy Rollins (.314), Rich Aurilia (.293), Orlando Cabrera (.313), Jack Wilson (.313), Deivi Cruz (.307), Barry Larkin (.301), Cristian Guzman (.297), Royce Clayton (.296), Rey Ordonez (.283), Juan Uribe (.281), Neifi Perez (.254) and Cesar Izturis (.252).

If I were a major league team—especially a club with one of the above starting shortstops—I'd take a shot at Iguchi. His 2001 stats, his defense—he is an absolute wizard with the glove—and the potential publicity make the risk worthwhile.

The problem is, you have to expect his numbers to be lower in the majors than in Japan. At least that's what history tells us to expect. Besides, the number of players you list kind of proves my point--at least with the bat, he's not particularly proven he's special. If he can get back to 2001 levels of offense, then he could really be something. My point is, he hasn't proven he can sustain that level of play. Maybe it's his shoulder and the offense will come back, but since I don't get to see him play, I can't rule out that 2001 was a fluke, either. I suspect the Hawks and even Iguchi would do better for him to wait a year. If he proves 2001 is his true talent level, then he can command big bucks. From where I sit, right now, he's no more than another shortstop.

Jim Albright

I understand your point and agree that the Hawks and Iguchi would do better to wait a year. However, my point is that it could be in a GM's best interest to bid on Iguchi if he becomes available this off season. As you pointed out, he could really be something if 2001 wasn't a fluke, and it probably wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to sign him thanks to his 2002 numbers. Potential on the cheap is a good thing.

More from the Japan Times: In August, the Hawks said they wanted to sell second baseman Tadahito Iguchi to a major-league team through the posting system. Iguchi later said that he had no interest in following Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhisa Ishii to the majors next year...

Looks like Tadahito's staying put.

Hey J, finally made it.

I think the Red Sox would be better off waiting for Kokubo to become eligible. He would play a solid second and hit with some power. That is, if they are still looking to grab someone from over here...

Kinda off-topic, but did anyone see the Giants game last night? Abe does it again. This kid is something else. He really thrives on those situations. I thought moving him down when Takahashi came back might be a mistake, but then I guess that's one reason I'm not managing a baseball team. :?)

Yeah, I've heard good things about Kokubo, who's been much more consistent than Iguchi. He'll be a free agent after next season, right?

Didn't see it but I read about it. Abe certainly has been clutch this season. How's his defense been?

Hey J...

I don't have numbers for you, but I see a lot of Giants' games and in my opinion he's an excellent defensive catcher. He picks pitches out of the dirt, he has good mobility and can get to those fouls near the dugout, and nails would-be base snatchers at a pretty good rate. He's just going to get better. The kid is SO poised and talented. Barring serious injury, he'll be a HOF player over here.

The only problem is, Kokubo hasn't played much at second for several years. He's been at third.

Jim Albright

This seemed like a good topic to revisit with Iguchi hitting .323/.419/.549 with 12 HR, 15 SB, and 34 BB versus 31 SO in 226 at-bats this year. His current MLE is .301/.391/.462 according to Jim's projections.

Perhaps his recent success is a function of his impending move to MLB. Lots of guys in MLB have career years right before their contracts are up and free agency calls.

He is having a monster year. I wonder if the Hawks will post him now that he'll fetch a pretty penny? Especially considering their current financial woes.

MLB sure could use some stellar defensive shortstops who can hit. We've really only got A-Rod and Nomar now. Tejada's defense isn't what it used to be and Jeter isn't an offensive powerhouse and his defense is shaky.

So, is this guy going to be posted or what? What is the latest on him?

A bit dated but I haven't heard anything to the contrary yet.

Iguchi to Go to MLB in 2004 [Baseballguru.com]

According to Hochi Sports, Daiei Hawks 28 year old second baseman Tadahito Iguchi will allow himself to be posted to MLB after next season. The speedy infielder, who can also play shortstop, says that he is particularly looking forward to facing the Oakland A's on March 23rd to see how he measures up.

The Hawks had intended to post Iguchi this offseason, but Iguchi refused, though he now says it was due to the shoulder injury he suffered that ultimately cut his season short and required surgery. The question, though, is how he will hit, since he has never hit for a very high average with Daiei.

You know, I would think that if Iguchi is posted, he's going to fetch less than Daei are hoping after the numbers he has put up this year. Sure, this year is a mighty fine year, but I believe that MLB scouts are highly biased against Japanese players for the most part, and will take his career as a whole into account rather than falling in love with Iguchi's numbers alone from this year. Iguchi's splits are very interesting.

Career (Through 2002)
.240BA / 19HR / 62RBI / 63R / 20SB / 17 2B / 39BB / 106K / .315OBP / .428SLG / .743 OPS

Years 1-3 (1997-99)
.218BA / 14HR / 45RBI / 42R / 9SB / 13 2B / 30BB / 100K / .291OBP / .400SLG / .691 OPS

Years 4-6 (2000-2002)
.258BA / 18HR / 58RBI / 63R / 23SB / 16 2B / 34BB / 77K / .326OBP / .452SLG / .778OPS

Current Season 2003
340BA / 27HR / 109RBI / 112R / 42SB / 81BB / 81K / .438OBP / .574SLG / 1.013OPS

If I was looking at the guy and considering bidding on him via the posting process, he'd scare the bejesus out of me. Sure, this season looks great, but it's completely against his career run of play, which is a mediocre hitter with some power and a very good glove.

And honestly, this is a case where I think that scouts and MLB executives have to really evaluate Iguchi with a fine comb. Shinjo, Ichiro, Hideki Matsui, these guys all had pretty steady career arcs. They improved and were very steady over the final three or four years before coming over to MLB. As such, they've produced pretty much as expected.

Iguchi though, he has had two pretty distinct parts of his career. And that puts Daiei in a really tough spot. Do they hold onto the guy for one more year and hope he comes close to duplicating, or even bettering, this year's numbers, in which case Daiei would get much more money posting him than this year? Do they hedge their bets, post him this year and hope for the best? Or do they hold on and watch Iguchi drop back to his previous levels, and with that, watch their posting money fizzle away with it?

I don't have the answer, but the questions surrounding him are very intriguing.

EvilEuro

Well from what I have read on BaseballGuru, Iguchi has turned into a completely different hitter this season. From what I have read, he is hitting off-speed pitches with authority back up the middle and to the opposite field now, whereas he was a dead red fastball-oriented pull hitter his first few years.

If I were a stats-focused organization -- like the A's, Blue Jays, or Red Sox, for example -- I'd be wary of Iguchi. A lot of organizations are more tools focused, however, and he's always had those. Also keep in mind that his last two healthy seasons (he had a shoulder injury in 2002 that was severe enough to require surgery) have been his best by far, although this year still represents a substantial improvement over 2001.

Shinjyo actually had just one good year before going to MLB: his last season in NPB. I'm sure scouts in the U.S. are aware of that, and this would scare them away from Iguchi.

On the other hand, his increased walk rate (more than double!) would intrigue stats-oriented teams like the A's, Red Sox, etc. Remember, Sammy Sosa was a strike-out prone mediocre hitter until he learned how to control the strike zone, leading to three 60-homer seasons in four years.

- Shinjyo actually had just one good year before going to MLB: his last season in NPB.

While I understand the point you're trying to make, I think you're reaching to make it. Shinjyo hit .278/.321/.491 his last season in Japan and Iguchi is hitting .341/.441/.577 this year. That's a huge difference.

It's been reported the Mets have been on this guy and Kaz Matsui for over 4 months. They have a spot open at second base. I'm not sure Kaz will move there. But Iguchi may be the guy they target.

I should have said "relatively" good year, compared to his previous season stats.

And no, I wasn't trying to compare Shinjyo's performance to Iguchi's, just the fact that inflated stats from one year is not enough to determine a player's subsequent contributions.

As a Mets fan, I'm interested in knowing more about Iguchi. I'm very interested in stats such as K:BB and OPS. Is Iguchi just having a career season, or is he finally becoming the player he was supposed to be when the Hawks took him #1? Is he a real legitimate superstar now?

Also, how popular is Iguchi? I know that he isn't on an Ichiro-Hideki Matsui level, but do you think fans would follow his career if he signed with the Mets? Would he provide ample revenue for the Mets, to offset his contract value?

You Mets fans are living for a dream. You have in Norfolk and Bingington ample talent. You also have $$$ to spend on fire sales which the Twins and Expos will have. This guy is a AAA player, not a MLB. I really think Phillips does listen to Mets fans.

Danny Garcia is a utility player, and Victor Diaz is still a year or two away. Those are the two guys at Norfolk and Binghamton.

And why would Minnesota have a fire sale? It's not as if they're spending money.

Anyone have any real info on Iguchi?

- Anyone have any real info on Iguchi?

Iguchi has a 1.011 OPS this year and his BB/K (that's the order I usually see it in) is 1.00. You should be able to figure his career stats out for yourself. Just check out his profile page on this informative site.

If you are a serious Met fan, you would not be thinking of Iguchi. You would be thinking of Tejada from the A's coming to join his former manager. Read my lips, Iguchi is a AAA player who has reached his zenith.

I still would like to know the name of the head scout from the New York Mets who is supposedly watching Iguchi. I think the writers are making a story about a non-event.

First, Phillips is not connected with the Mets anymore: he was fired.

Second, please don't compare Japanese players to "Ichiro-Matsui." These guys are not the same player. It would be like calling a superb MLB player a Bonds-Rickey Henderson player. They're both fantastic, but bring completely different things to the table.

Suraj,

I wasn't combining Ichiro and Matsui on playing ability, just on their popularity, as they are the two most popular players to come over here from Japan. Sorry for any confusion.

I'm a mets fans and all I have to say is that we have one of the weaker minor league systems in baseball.

Amen about the farm. If Duguette stays as GM, he'll look at MLB Rule 5, especially those teams sitting pretty now. Wilpon has said he wants speed and defense. Pitching is not bad - team won 66 games and you have two 15 game winners - not bad. But they reassigned Ruhle. I think he wants Peterson, who he ad with the A's, as pitching coach.

The Mets need a second baseman and center fielder. The Twins have Shannon S. coming up for free agency. The Mets cut some of that 120 million dollar payroll.

Look to the Expos to sell some talent. The MLB clubs are losing money.

I should clear myself on Phillps. The same day the kids got out of school in New York was the day he was let go, and the Mets gave up the season as lost.

[Admin: What happened to talk about Iguchi? Let's get back on topic.]

Very simply, Iguchi is not a Major League player. His skills are fine for AAA and the NPB 140 game schedule with five day work week. I can't think of the second baseman or shortstop names on the BayStars, but I believe that they could have been rated higher than Iguchi.

Also, the Korean league has a "look-see" second baseman who may be better than Iguchi. Did the sports writers of Japan start this charade for readership?

- Very simply, Iguchi is not a Major League player. His skills are fine for AAA and the NPB 140 game schedule with five day work week.

I just love it when people state opinions as fact.

Shannon Stewart is a horrible defensive outfielder. He has no arm what so ever. And putting him in center field is just as bad as putting Cedeno out there.

[Admin: What does this have to do with Iguchi? He's an infielder.]

Well he mentioned Shannon Stewart in the post.

Well, the guy who runs BaseballGuru believes he can play in the big leagues. I find it hard to believe that the guy put up numbers that rival an Ichiro type season in Japan can't play in the big leagues. I think if he is posted he will be a Met next season.

While I take a wait and see attitude as to how Iguchi would ultimately do in the majors (and he has changed his game, like Brett Boone did), he does things now that are very indicative of at least solid MLB success. Put him in Boston or with the Cubs and you may see him doing damage.

But to say that he isn't better than Takuro Ishii (the Yokohama BayStars' shortstop) or Hitoshi Taneda (or Seiichi Uchikawa or whoever else Yamashita is plugging into that second base position) is just plain ignorant. Right now, Iguchi is the best all around second baseman in Japan, period.

I'd love to see Iguchi come to Detroit. I've been a long time fan of him, and his potential. From my standpoint, Detroit would be a great place for him to start his MLB career. If he truly doesn't have all the skills to play, Detroit would provide a great traning ground for him. If any of you have watched a Detroit Tigers' game in the last year or so, you know why. Also the Tigers sorely need someone in the second base/shortstop position. Finally, with the Tigers not renewing Dean Palmer's contract, Iguchi's Uni number will be open.

Detroit would provide a good training ground? I am willing to bet anything that if Daiei and Detroit played a series of 10 games against each other that Daiei would come out on top.

You're saying that Iguchi is a loser. Start on a team that won't see a 50% season in 2-3 years? Just to say he played in MLB? I don't see Detroit offering a contract to a AAA player.

Iguchi has reached his potential.

- Iguchi has reached his potential.

How the heck do you know?

Yes, Kalesnik-san is getting to be rather annoying with his opinion that Iguchi and NPB are at or lower than AAA without giving any supporting evidence. He seems to have some sort of grudge that he's got to express. He's entitled to that opinion, but he won't convince anyone around here without any evidence to back him up.

My guess is that he's a troll and is trying to evoke an emotional response from people. Don't feed the trolls and maybe they'll go away. Until he can come up with a plausable arguement for his claims, just let him talk to the wind - which seems to be his overall effect so far.

Bonderman had never played above A ball before this year. Seems to me that if Detroit is bad enough to offer contracts to A ball players, they's gladly welcome AAA players. Besides, Iguchi has shown the potential to be much more than that. With all of Ichiro's success in the MLB, here's a comparison of Suzuki and Iguchi's career highs in Japan (AVG, RUNS, HR, RBI, SB, OBP):
Suzuki: .387, 111, 25, 91, 49, .460
Iguchi: .340, 112, 30, 109, 44, .438

AAA Player? Factor in postions (Iguchi playing middle infield, as opposed to the outfield), and the argument could be made that Iguchi could be more valuable to an MLB club than even Ichiro.

I never siad NPB is AAA, I do say Iguchi is AAA. This past July I attended a couple of games when they played the BlueWave and the Buffs. The Hawks have a good hitting club. If I remember, they were the top in the Pacific League in hitting catagories and had half their team within the top ten. I just think he is like his team-mates, and the team is having a once in a career season, just like any baseball player could have at any level. I also think the Pacific League is weaker.

I go to Korea via Japan every other year. I love baseball. I stop in Japan to take in games. I know NPB has sent a lot of pitchers to the States, but position players make the most impact to U.S.A. fans. I would love to see my MLB team have a NPB player. Baseball is universal. It's the best sport a fan can express opinions on.

Please tell me I am wrong. Or don't have the facts. Or I express myself wrong. But don't make personal fun of me. That really hurts.

Either you're "trolling" again or you don't have much Internet forum experience. The above was a much better example of backing up what you're saying, but still not enough to convince anyone that Iguchi is lower than AAA material.

If you're not trolling, I'd recommend reading this page [Wikipedia.org] on the definition of a "troll."

- I don't see Detroit offering a contract to a AAA player.

- Iguchi has reached his potential.

There you go spouting off your opinion as fact again. Do you have anything else to add to this discussion or are you just going to repeat yourself? How about some evidence as to why you think Iguchi is a AAA player? Or are you only here to troll the board?

If Iguchi's potential is represented by his 2003 season, he will make it in the majors -- more than make it, he'll star. On the other hand, he most likely won't make it if this season was a fluke and he returns to his career production levels. Either way, calling a player who produced a 1.011 OPS in a level of ball superior to Triple-A a "AAA player" seems shortsighted and uninformed at best.

According to CBS Sportsline, the New York Mets are looking to sign Iguchi as their starting second baseman.

The New York papers have been beating the Ichugi drum strongly. He may be a good fit for the Mets. Their two prospects are at least a year or two away at best. One of them failed to impress when called up.

Good D and speed is what Mets' managemnt is looking for. If Iguchi-san can hit better than Shinjo-san, he'll do fine.

Which NY paper are you talking about. The only news is about Kaz Matsui. I have not read anything about Iguchi. He has not even decided about posting, so the Mets are not even allowed to talk about him.

What's the timetable on when posting can occur/must end and the like?

Jim Albright

The only thing being discussed in the New York papers is the Mets possibly signing free agent Kazuo Matsui and moving Reyes to second base.

Iguchi talk is all speculation at this point until he is actually Posted. The Red Sox, Mets, etc. would be foolish to pin their hopes on winning a secret bidding contest just to talk to an infielder coming off a career year in Japan.

Will there be interest in Tadahito? Yes, but probably luke-warm based on his career numbers and an obvious market adjustment in MLB contracts. Todd Walker, Placido Polanco, and Adam Kennedy are all likely to be non-tendered, and they have proven they can hit MLB Pitching. (Defensive players like Fernando Vina and Luis Castillo will also be avalable.)

His posting will only net the Hawks a few million dollars and nowhere near what the last 2 players who were posted got for their teams. After that, Iguchi will be looking at a deal around 2 years/$4M if he wants to play MLB. (He only made $1M last year in Japan.)

He better get himself posted fast because the market will get flooded with the above second baseman when the deadline to offer arbitration passes.

While it was mentioned here that Iguchi will probably be fighting for the right to be posted for a long time this off-season, he's had a change of heart. Iguchi was quoted in today's (November 6, 2003) Nikkan Sports as saying:

"Reguarding my being posted, if (the club says) no, then it's no. I don't want to get into a fight with the ball club. I don't want to cause trouble for the team."

...

"I'll just have to do my best until I become a free agent, now, won't I? But I do think that I'll at least ask every year until then."

So, speculation may now end on Iguchi for this off-season. He isn't being posted, and he isn't going to push the matter.

His time to come is now. Not when he is on the other side of 30.

Have they actually said no to his request?

I'm a little confused. First Daiei rids itself of Kokubo and his 2-oku yen, and then refuses to let Iguchi be posted which would a) save the team 2.4-oku yen and b) bring in a few million dollars for the posting fee. If they're so cash-strapped, why don't they save on Iguchi's salary and get some extra something from posting?

More importantly, why would they rid themselves of Kokubo, and essentially pay the money they saved on him to Iguchi, who is a far inferior player (save this year)? Let Iguchi be posted, and use the posting money + Iguchi's projected salary on a long-term contract for Kokubo plus a shortstop who can hit worth a lick.

I would be stunned if there wasn't something else going on here. It's hard to tell what, but with the Giants involved, there's got to be something going on.

Or maybe Daiei just really likes Kawasaki at third.

Hmm. This Iguchi guy is very interesting.

I can't get myself to believe that his current season is a "fluke." A change that drastic must mean that he has evolved into a far superior baseball player.

Doe anyone know if Iguchi can play Shortstop? I'd love to see him in a Mariner uniform next year!

- I can't get myself to believe that his current season is a "fluke."

I think that is exactly what it is. I did some stats on Iguchi. Throw out his rookie campaign and he (before 2003) was about a .250 .320 .440 hitter. If his glove is as good as advertised then he becomes Mike Bordick with power. And that is with no degradation of statistics for moving to MLB. [Mike Bordick profile - MLB.com] Or maybe even an Orlando Cabrera [Profile - MLB.com]. Both of those guys are useful players for their defense alone. And they are no Rey Ordonez with the stick.

That being said, neither of them is going to morph into a .340, .440, .570 hitter as Iguchi did.

Iguchi's earlier (poorer) stats were based on about 2,000 at-bats. Decent sample size. His 2003 stats are based on, well, one season. What could have happened? A new training regimen? Healthy all season? No slumps? Hot streak? Fewer AB's vs. ace pitchers? Shoot, his 2003 numbers look like Jeff Kent's 2000 numbers [Profile - MLB.com] when he won the NL MVP! I don't think anyone here is saying that Iguchi is going to go over and win an MVP. (Don't get me started on Tejada winning the AL MVP!)

I did a comparison of 500 at-bat seasons using the before and after Iguchi. Basically, he added 38 singles, 7 homers, and 37 walks. Very nice upgrade, indeed. Can that be a fluke? I checked two "flukey" guys from recent MLB memory: Jeffrey Hammonds and Chris Stynes. Both have similar careers to Iguchi (better batting and on-base, lower slugging) and both had a true fluke season. Neither one reached as high as Iguchi. They were more in the .330, .400, .510 range. Did either of these players improve upon their career numbers after the fluke season? No, they basically reverted to their norm. Because Iguchi's upgrade is more drastic than my chosen examples (small sample size) I tend to think he will improve over his career numbers. Slightly. Give him .270(+.020), .350(+.030), .480(+.040) (a complete guess-timate) and do whatever calculations you do to get an MLB equivalency.

Do you come up with Miguel Tejada? [Profile - MLB.com] I think it is a stretch, but if so, any major league team would be happy to get his services. But Tejada has done that over more than 3,500 at-bats. Iguchi has a lot of question marks. But hey, maybe he will be the AL MVP! (note sarcasm) Gonzalez stole it from Rodriguez. Ichiro stole it from Giambi. Tejada stole it from everyone. Who knows!

-Wayne

Jeffrey Hammonds isn't neccesarily a bad hitter. He is a career .274 hitter with a .339 OBP. It looks like his career "fluke" season was in 2000 with the Colorado Rockies. Of course Colorado's thin air has been known to aid hitters outraegously.

Chris Stynes also isn't a bad hitter by a long shot. He is a career .280 hitter with a .340 OBP. His career season was also in 2000, but he only had 380 at bats.

How about Brett Boone? He had a monster 2001 season after being a mediocre hitter his entire career. Since then hes been a top-of-the-line RBI hitter, knocking in 100 RBI's in 2002 and 2003. Oh and he's also hit more home runs with a higher average, OBP, and slugging %. All this in a pitcher friendly park.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that nobody's asking Iguchi to be the MVP. I understand that that is highly unlikely. I'd just like to see him be a productive lead-off hitter, which I believe he can be. Is a .300 average, .360-70 OBP, and 40+ steals that unreasonable? If it isn't he could be one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.

That might be reasonable if you assume that 2003 truly is his level of talent. Myself, I'd expect somewhere between a MLB conversion of 2001 and a MLB conversion of 2003. I'd leave out 2002 on account of injury. The 2001 version was a decent second baseman with some punch, but hardly overwhelming. He's probably better than that now, but the hard part with him is deciding what to expect from here. With this much of a jump forward in a year he expected to be in for a big contract, it's certainly reasonable to wonder if he'd keep it up in the majors.

The 2003 season proves 2001 was no fluke, though. It looks like he'll be in NPB until at least 2004, so absent injury, we should have a clearer picture next year.

Jim Albright

- But hey, maybe he will be the AL MVP! (note sarcasm) Gonzalez stole it from Rodriguez. Ichiro stole it from Giambi. Tejada stole it from everyone. Who knows!

Ichiro produced 36 win shares to Giambi's 38. One could argue that Jason was more deserving, but suggesting Ichiro stole the award is a gross exaggeration.

Also, Iguchi is more a second baseman by trade than a shortstop at this point.

Stole? The MVP voting is fair and squared, not like people voting for President down in Florida.

It's been a while since I've heard some information concerning Tadahito Iguchi. Is he still hopeful that his team will post him to the MLB, or is it too late for that now? It will be a shame if he can't come across the big pond because of his current team's bigheadedness. If anybody has new information concerning Iguchi, please reply.

Thank you very much.

It is interesting to go back and read the posts on Iguchi from 2002 and 2003. People so certain he will be a bust, and comparisons to Taguchi and Shinjo. Shinjo is now a major factor in Fantasy Baseball Leagues here in the U.S.

"The White Sox would not comment Monday and an official announcement will come after Iguchi takes a physical. He would be the second White Sox player from Japan, joining reliever Shingo Takatsu, who was 6-4 with a 2.31 ERA and 19 saves in his first season a year ago."

We can only hope that Iguchi does as "poorly" as Shinjo in his first year with the White Sox. Transition between the leagues is always necessary. Let's give the man 3 years to see what he can produce.

George from Stockton, CA
Sister City to Shimzu, Shizoaka Province, Japan

Well, I certainly hope he does better than Shinjo did. Or did you mean Shingo?

Regarding Shingo, while we're on the subject, I wonder how he will do next year? I think part of why he did so well might be due to the fact that he has an unusual delivery, but as more guys get used to seeing his pitches, some of them might figure him out and therefore learn how to hit him better.

It appears that the process of figuring Takatsu's delivery is well on its way.

His split stats indicate that familiarity with his delivery contributed to a more normal second half, but that he is still a top flight MLB reliever. Before the All-Star Game, he had an ERA of 1.30 and WHIP 0.81, both phenomenal. After the All-Star break his #'s were: 3.58 ERA, 1.19 WHIP.

But going deeper into those numbers, Shingo suffered through a brutal August, where he couldn't get anyone out. Tongues started wagging around the league that he had been "figured out" and that he would never get anyone out in MLB again, but he recovered with a very strong September to silence his critics.

So who'll have more impact on his respective team - Iguchi on the White Sox, or Cabrera on the Hawks?

Himself, if you follow the tried and true baseball axioms, then the most valuable person should be Iguchi. Speed, good pitching, and good defense out-weigh the 3-run homer. Both are excellent players, but with the White Sox preferring to give up the power numbers, then Tadahito should prove the better match for his new team.

Iguchi is currently on pace for a .279 avg., 82 runs scored, 15 HR, 64 RBI, and 19 SB. Pretty good for a "AAA player." Where are all the nay-sayers now?

I'm happy to see Iguchi putting up solid numbers in his first year in MLB. Looking back at some of the old posts, I don't think anyone would have guessed that Tadahito would be out-playing Kazuo Matsui at this point!

At this point Iguchi is proving all the naysayers wrong and is the current favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year.

While Iguchi's having a great year, I assure you that the "favorite" for the ROY is Gustavo Chacin of the Toronto Blue Jays. He has 11 wins (maybe more) and is ranked in the top 10 in ERA.