Meet the Sox

Tadahito Iguchi

It's amazing how little we had to worry about Tadahito Iguchi, considering Kenny Williams decided to sign him with nothing more than some video to study.

Any concerns about his game ended on April 7, the third game of his career.  Before that point, he had been rendered a complete question mark, causing plenty of concern during Spring Training.  In fact, the only reason he won the starting job was because Willie Harris played worse.

Iguchi erased all doubts about his game beginning with that 11-5 loss to Cleveland.  Iguchi cranked out three hits, raising his average from .143 to .364, and from then on, steadiness became a hallmark of his game, whether at the plate or in the field.

Certainly Iguchi had hot weeks and cold weeks, with some months that were better than others, but damned if anybody could feel the slumps.  His contributions were easy to overlook because they were always coming at the same pace from the same place -- the No. 2 spot, a role in which he unexpectedly thrived.

Even though he hit in the middle of the order in Japan, he responded well to Ozzie Guillen's overemphasization of the bunt, getting them down when he had to.  His unorthodox, right field-oriented swing was tailor-made to move the runner over, and he hit with enough power to spark the offense himself.

In fact, his two greatest moments at the plate were feats of his strength.  His three-run homer off David Wells in Game 2 of the 2005 ALDS may have been the tipping point of the Sox's first playoff series victory since 1917.  After Tony Graffanino let a sure double-play ball roll between his legs, Iguchi capitalized by socking the ball into the left-field bullpen to give Chicago a 5-4 lead.  The Sox never trailed again in the series.

He'd manage to top that moment in 2006, when he hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and a grand slam in the ninth to singlehandedly bring the Sox back from a 9-2 deficit against Houston.  Even though the Sox lost, Iguchi gave Sox fans a moment they would never forget.

The consistency of Iguchi's glove matched his bat.  His spinning throw against the Blue Jays in April of last year was a similar moment of rare, sheer brilliance in an otherwise unremarkable yet completely reliable facet of his game.  Iguchi may not have played Gold Glove-caliber defense, but he didn't cost the Sox any games with his glove either.  He and Juan Uribe proved to be a formidable duo up the middle, turning the third-highest amount of double plays in the league, coupled with the league's second-best defensive effiency rating.

Even though he struggled to get started this year, he still managed to blend right in, as all the other big names managed to either hit worse or get hurt.  Iguchi suffered through some pain himself, having screwed up a finger that affected his hitting.  Nevertheless, he still performed squarely in the middle of Sox hitters, even though he was moved around the lineup as Ozzie saw fit.

Even though the trade to Philadelphia deeply saddened Iguchi, it should work out to his benefit.  He's not being asked to completely replace Chase Utley's production, only to fill a hole while the Phillies' all-star second baseman rehabilitates.  That may be understating Iguchi's abilities, but during his Sox career, his game understated itself by nature.  Maybe that's why he flipped his bat after every home run -- just a little something that reminded us he was there.