Improvement is serious business for this fun-loving White Sox prospect

November 15th, 2024

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- Nobody scored more runs in the entirety of the Minor Leagues during the 2024 season than the 114 produced by Rikuu Nishida of the White Sox.

Nishida¡¯s 49 stolen bases and .418 on-base percentage also were tops among White Sox Minor Leaguers. Yet, the 23-year-old, left-handed hitter from Osaka, Japan, wasn¡¯t satisfied. It¡¯s a humble approach taken by the 11th-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, who director of player development Paul Janish once described as leading the league in personality.

It also shows off a quest for continued improvement from a burgeoning talent with a most unique profile. Nishida checks in at 5-foot-6, 150 pounds on a good day, although he admitted to playing at 138-to-140 pounds during the past season.

Nishida¡¯s 147 hits ranked second in ¡¯24 to Tim Elko¡¯s 156 within the White Sox, but 127 of those hits went for singles. So, the quest for added power becomes one offseason goal for Nishida.

¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to change my baseball style, but I need some more training. I didn¡¯t decide yet, but I want to get across 160 [pounds],¡± Nishida told MLB.com during a recent phone interview. ¡°I feel like I don¡¯t want to say like an exact [power] number. I'll just try to do the same things as this year for next year.

¡°Then, I think the numbers will come at the end of the season. I shouldn¡¯t worry about any numbers before the season.¡±

To be honest, Nishida¡¯s game never will be based on power after hitting one home run, 13 doubles and six triples over 587 plate appearances with Single-A Kannapolis, High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham as both a left fielder and second baseman. He has an exceptional batting eye as shown by his 86 walks and 64 strikeouts, but those numbers lead to another Nishida point of concern.

Forty-nine stolen bases (in 61 attempts) were extremely impressive. They weren¡¯t enough in Nishida¡¯s mind.

"I should get more," he said, noting that he doesn't hit a lot of homers or triples. "I have more opportunities than everybody. Next year, I¡¯m going to try to get more."

"I had an opportunity on first base 230 times, so I should get more. At least 80, 90 stolen bases with [numbers] like this year."

A green light was in place for Nishida to run, but he had too much respect for the good hitters behind him to risk getting thrown out while being overly aggressive. When asked about those 114 runs scored, Nishida laughed and credited the rest of the lineup making it easy for him.

¡°Rikuu is the best kid. This kid is incredible,¡± said Birmingham pitching coach John Ely, who watched Nishida for 11 games and the postseason with the Barons. ¡°He immediately walked in and was just a bright spot. Honestly, a big reason why we were able to win a championship down there.

¡°He solidified the middle infield a little bit, allowed us to do some things with the lineup where we can put guys who were out of position in different spots and DH them. Plus, my god, that kid is just a fan favorite and a team favorite. He¡¯s immediately everybody¡¯s friend. A hilarious kid.¡±

Yes, Nishida was part of the Barons¡¯ Southern League title. He called the moment awesome, while adding he doesn¡¯t really remember anything but the celebration following DJ Gladney¡¯s walk-off single to sweep Montgomery in two games.

¡°There was nobody who said, 'I¡¯m tired' or that stuff,¡± Nishida said. ¡°Everybody was so excited, every single game. So, it was almost college baseball. That was fun.¡±

Will Nishida have that same sort of fun at the Major League level, maybe as soon as 2025? He¡¯s more focused on individual improvements than where he might play next.

Even with that hoped for increase in power, though, Nishida knows he won¡¯t match the prolific totals of countryman Shohei Ohtani, who is a finalist for his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League. Then again, Ohtani won¡¯t top Nishida regarding enjoyment of the game.

¡°Every level, I had so much fun. But no, I cannot be Shohei,¡± Nishida said with a laugh. ¡°He¡¯s a pitcher, too. He has more stolen bases than me. That¡¯s crazy. Ohtani is awesome. He¡¯s the best baseball player so far.¡±

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com