So Taguchi

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #30 prospect in 2003
  Taguchi was the Cardinals' first sign from the Far East, and the early returns weren't positive. Taguchi had a .277 average in 10 seasons in Japan's Pacific League and was known more for his defense. St. Louis signed him to a three-year deal and hoped he would compete for at least a backup outfield job, but he was clearly overmatched from the beginning of spring training. He spent most of the season at Memphis, getting acclimated to American culture and baseball. Taguchi is about as sound fundamentally as a ballplayer can be, especially on defense. But he'll have to improve at the plate to be more than a footnote to the history of Japanese players in the major leagues. He gets overmatched by good fastballs and seemed to have trouble adjusting to the mindset of American pitchers, who attack hitters with pure stuff more than Japanese pitchers do. The Cardinals are chalking up last year as a learning experience and will give Taguchi a close look in spring training, in hopes he can win a backup job in St. Louis.
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  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #6 prospect in 2002
  The Cardinals made their first foray into the Far East in January, signing Taguchi to a three-year deal with a base salary of $1 million per year and the chance to double it with incentives. A 10-year veteran of Japan's Pacific League, he became a free agent after spending his entire career with the Orix BlueWave. Taguchi is a defensive specialist who won five Golden Glove awards in Japan, and he has good speed and an above-average arm. He has the skills to play any of the outfield positions. Though he was a longtime teammate of Ichiro Suzuki in Japan, the Cardinals aren't looking for that much offensive production from Taguchi. As a .277 lifetime hitter in Japan with little power, he would be considered a success with a season like Tsuyoshi Shinjo's with the Mets in 2001. He'll wear No. 99 with the Cardinals and will compete with Eli Marrero, Placido Polanco and Kerry Robinson for the big league left-field job in spring training.

• December, 2001 Scouting Report
  The Cardinals made their first foray into the Far East in January, signing Taguchi to a three-year deal with a base salary of $1 million per year and the chance to double it with incentives. A 10-year veteran of Japan's Pacific League, he became a free agent after spending his entire career with the Orix BlueWave. Taguchi is a defensive specialist who won five Golden Glove awards in Japan, and he has good speed and an above-average arm. He has the skills to play any of the outfield positions. Though he was a longtime teammate of Ichiro Suzuki in Japan, the Cardinals aren't looking for that much offensive production from Taguchi. As a .277 lifetime hitter in Japan with little power, he would be considered a success with a season like Tsuyoshi Shinjo's with the Mets in 2001. He'll wear No. 99 with the Cardinals and will compete with Eli Marrero, Placido Polanco and Kerry Robinson for the big league left-field job in spring training.