New Arrival: So Taguchi, of, St. Louis Cardinals

Why you remember So Taguchi:

• The St. Louis Cardinals signed So Taguchi as an international free agent in 2002.
• The 33-year-old Taguchi was a 10 year veteran of Japan Pacific League (JPPL). He was an All-Star in the JPPL, though he was not quite the hitter that Ichiro was.
• His biggest asset was his defense; he had won five Gold Gloves in Japan and projected to be every bit as good in the states.
• He would get brief call-ups in 2002 and 2003.
• In 2004 would find a more regular spot on the roster as a 4th OF/pinch hitter type.
• He had some nice seasons in that capacity, particularly in 2006 when he hit .266/.335/.351 in 316 at-bats on the World Series-winning Cardinals.
• He was a fan favorite in St. Louis, despite not being a regular.
• He would leave the Cardinals in 2008 and would only see limited action over the next two years with the Phillies and Cubs before going back to Japan.
• He would squeeze in one more World Series-winning campaign, this time with the 2008 Phillies.
• All told he would retire with a line of .279/.332/.385 with a 86 OPS+ and 2.3 WAR. Being part of two World Series teams was nice as well.

Why I remember So Taguchi:

After Taguchi signed with the Cardinals he was assigned to AA-ball. He hit well enough and was pushed up to AAA. At 33 and, ostensibly, a polished veteran bat, the Cardinals were aggressive with trying to get him to the big league club.

I was his bat-boy for a weekend while he was with the Cardinals AAA team. At the time I did not know too much about him, but it was clear to anyone watching that he was visibly frustrated with his struggles with the bat. In particular, I remember him grounding out to third base and, after returning to dugout, just standing by the bat rack, clearly frustrated.

Another player walked over and put bearhugged him. He whispered something in his ear, and Taguchi nodded. It was clear that the guys on the team could see that he was pressing and trying to help him relax. It was a tender moment that illustrated the immence stress that pro players are under to perform.

This might seem silly, but it impacted me. For the first time I saw that baseball was not a game for these guys–it was their lives. A cold streak might be annoying to fans, but it can be something much worse for the players. To us, baseball is a game, but to these players, it’s their lives, their livelihoods. And considering you always have an entire organization of guys pressing up on you…there is a stress there that I think can be hard to comprehend.

I have thought a lot about Taguchi over the years, and it influenced the way that I collect. I never forget the players that I add to my collection are more than just a bunch of stats, but real human beings. And they played the game because it was their life, their passion, and many take pride in their careers even if they never really pan out.