The most intriguing White Sox prospect

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 -- A well-known beer ad famously featured advertisements entitled "The Most Interesting Man in the World," which for my money is one of the most entertaining promotional campaigns ever put together.

“His blood smells like cologne.”

“He once warned a psychic.”

I mean, that’s gold, Jerry. Pure gold.

Rikuu Nishida, the White Sox 11th-round pick in the 2023 Draft out of Oregon, might be the most interesting man in the Minor Leagues.

So why did Nishida attend Oregon, where the 5-foot-6, 150-pound left-handed hitter posted a .313 average, .837 OPS and 25 stolen bases in 2023? His response is a colorful one.

“I just like [the color] green,” Nishida said. “I like green, and I like Nike. I got a couple of other offers, but I don’t know about any college baseball. I just like the uniform.”

The native of Osaka, Japan, who moved to Miyagi for high school, didn’t have a favorite baseball player or team growing up. In fact, he liked watching boxing, golf and soccer more than baseball.

Nishida followed in his older brother’s footsteps and played soccer, but he eventually opted for baseball. So why did he make that athletic move?

Let’s say it was for the increased challenge.

“I was too good with soccer,” Nishida said with a laugh. “And then I asked my dad, 'Can I play catch' with him? And then he said, 'Yes.' Then it was harder for me to catch the ball. Just to play catch was hard. So I decided baseball.

“Soccer is too easy for me. Baseball is never 100 percent. We cannot hit 10-for-10. We cannot catch 10-for-10.”

Nishida is not among MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 White Sox prospects. He’s not a classic top prospect in the sense of raw physical attributes. But he possesses a great bat-to-ball approach, with just 26 strikeouts against 25 walks over 263 at-bats for Oregon. He also has different approaches for different points in a plate appearance.

Although he primarily played infield for the Ducks, Nishida has worked in center field and left field for the Arizona Complex League White Sox and for Single-A Kannapolis.

“I’m learning right now,” said Nishida, who played a little right field for Oregon but is getting his first action in center. “If I continue my baseball career, I need to play the infield and the outfield. I need to learn center.

“I cannot just be a professional second baseman. You know what I mean? I need to play second base, third base, center field. And then I can be a professional.”

Nishida has an outstanding grasp of the English language, which has developed over time since arriving at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., before transferring to Oregon. He said interviews are still somewhat difficult for him, but he was great when we spoke.

His setup in the batter’s box looks similar to Ichiro Suzuki, one of the greatest players in MLB and Japanese baseball history. Nishida is quick to put a stop to that comparison.

“No, way different,” Nishida said. “Everyone says like Ichiro. No, I’m not that good. I need to try to be like him, but not yet.”

Playing for the White Sox has been “amazing,” according to Nishida. It was the team he wanted coming from Oregon, but not necessarily for baseball reasons.

“I know the White Sox logo. That’s the thing for me,” said Nishida, who has five stolen bases, eight walks and six strikeouts over 14 Minor League games. “I like the cap. I know the hat. I have a couple of White Sox hats. So that was good."