The Chicago White Sox called up Japanese outfielder Rikuu Nishida on Memorial Day, giving him the opportunity to play in right field. In his debut, Nishida would quickly draw comparisons to a legend, Ichiro.
After the game, reporters spoke to Nishida at his locker. That included a throw he made from rightfield, gunning down a Minnesota Twins runner at home, which made them think of the type of throws Ichiro used to make for the Seattle Mariners.
“No,” Nishida quickly said. “Don’t compare [me to] Ichiro. No, no, no, no. Still, heavy — my No. 51. I want to change my number right now.”
In his debut, Nishida had one hit in three at-bats. He was also impressive defensively, with 7 putouts and an assist. That came in less than 24 hours after he was called up from the Triple-A level. Still, he pushed back on that comparison to Ichiro.
“No, no, no, no. I’ll try my best. No Ichiro. Not like Ichiro. I can not be like Ichiro,” Nishida said.
Maybe it isn’t a surprise that Nishida is less than excited to get compared to Ichiro. After all, before Shohei Ohtani, he was the greatest player to come out of Japan.
A star for the Orix BlueWave in Japan, he made the jump to MLB in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners. Later, he’d go on to play for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins, before returning to Seattle to finish up his career. Along the way, he collected 3,089 hits in MLB and 509 stolen bases. That came with no shortage of hardware. A 10-time All Star, he was the Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001, before going on to win 10 Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers. He also holds the single-season hits record with 262. He would go on to get elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with 99.7% of the vote, the first Japanese player elected.
Everything to Know About Chicago White Sox Outfielder Rikuu Nishida
GettyChicago White Sox rookie Rikuu Nishida
Chicago White Sox outfielder Rikuu Nishida is unique from most other Japanese players who come to play in MLB. Where the majority of Japanese players break in through the NPB, before getting posted, Nishida chose to play in college in the United States.
After starting out at Mt. Hood Community College, he transferred to the Oregon Ducks. There, he played well enough to be drafted by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. That’s a slot where, if it didn’t work out, then Chicago would not have felt like it wasted a pick.
So far, Nishida hasn’t given the White Sox any reason to regret it, of course. Starting out in the Arizona Complex League back in 2023, he ripped through the minor leagues, making the jump to Triple-A in 2026 before now making the jump to MLB. In his 33 Triple-A games, he hit .250 with a .434 OBP, .350 slugging percentage, and a .784 OPS.
“I learned through my playing days in high school a lot,” Nishida said. “I know baseball really revolves around how you live your life and how you act accordingly. I try to do that, and that’s how I am today.”
When Nishida made his debut on May 25th, he became the first Japanese-born and raised player to play Division I NCAA baseball and in MLB. He’s considered a natural second baseman, not an outfielder, but thrived in right during his debut.
The White Sox are Leaning on Japanese Stars
GettyMunetaka Murakami and Rikuu Nishida of the Chicago White Sox
Rikuu Nishida joins the White Sox with plenty of hope that he can keep developing into a solid player for Chicago. However, he won’t have to do so as the only Japanese player on the team. The White Sox also have Munetaka Murakami, who is in his rookie season after coming over from the NPB.
On top of that, Murakami has been a revelation for the White Sox, quickly developing into one of the best power hitters in the American League. During their game on Tuesday, May 26th, he hit his 19th home run of the season. That’s the fourth-most home runs for a player in their first 54 games all time.
This comes in what has been a kind of renaissance season for the White Sox on the whole. At 27-26, they’re much improved from a season ago. On top of that, they’re actually currently holding the second Wild Card spot.
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