Notes: Iguchi in, Harris out?

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Notes: Iguchi in, Harris out?

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com 

 

CHICAGO -- The grand opening of the Tadahito Iguchi era with the White Sox doesn't necessarily translate into the end of Willie Harris' run on the South Side.

Although general manager Ken Williams all but anointed Iguchi as the team's starting second baseman for 2005, he encouraged Harris to prove him wrong. Harris seemed realistic but certainly not ready to give up the position, judging by his comments in Thursday's edition of the Daily Southtown.

 

"They aren't going to pay him that type of money to sit," Harris said in the article, speaking from his home in Cairo, Ga. "I don't know how to take it. I'm used to it. It's not the first time they've done something like this with me.

 

"If that's their guy, if he's going to help the team, let's go. I'm not backing down from him. Hopefully, they don't just hand him anything."

 

Harris' up-and-down performance during the 2004 season has been well chronicled at this point. In his first extended chance to play at the big-league level, his first season with more than 400 at-bats, Harris took a step forward by hitting .262 with a team-high 19 stolen bases. Harris, 26, also played stellar defense at second base, and proved to be a valuable outfield reserve when injuries took their toll on the lineup.

 

The team would have been satisfied with Harris in 2005 if the Iguchi deal were not finalized. But Harris' progress wasn't quite consistent enough or didn't move him far enough ahead for Williams to have full trust in him as the lone man at second.

 

Williams' object is not to make people happy but to bring home a White Sox championship. It was a point detailed again by all involved at Thursday's press conference to announce Iguchi's signing.

 

"Our goal is to win," said White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker when asked about Harris' future. "As far as Willie goes, I still believe in him. He took a small step, but if he would have taken that big step, then we might not be here today. Kenny made a tough call, a good call, and we go from there.

 

"Willie is a good guy, and I hope Willie plays for 15 years in this league. I wish him the best, and who knows, it might be here. But this is not about personalities.

 

"Kenny said it perfectly," Walker added. "If Willie wants to compete, then come on big boy, let's go."

 

Despite Harris' versatility and a chance to thrive under new baserunning coach Tim Raines, a close friend of the infielder, he could eventually be the odd man out of the White Sox equation. Manager Ozzie Guillen wants a utility infielder who primarily plays shortstop and a right-handed hitter off the bench to fill out his roster.

 

Harris fits neither of those profiles. It's up to Harris to force Williams' hand with a stellar effort in Tucson and get a chance to not only earn a starting nod, but keep it.

 

"Willie can still serve a valuable role on the team," Williams said Thursday. "There were opportunities granted last year, and we communicated to Willie at that point that we where getting to the point where we would make that commitment or seek outside help and improve the club.

 

"It came down to the bottom line for me. We needed to go into the season with a greater degree of certainty with what we were going to get from the top of the order.

 

"The best response for Willie is to come into Spring Training and compete," added Williams, who said he wasn't upset with Harris' comments in Thursday's article. "Show me I'm wrong. I'm all about competition and bringing a championship here. I don't have time to get sentimental on people."

 

Poetry in motion? Walker had a chance to break down Iguchi's swing Thursday and came away impressed with what he watched on tape.

 

"It's not like I've extensively watched him," Walker said. "But I saw 15 or 20 swings and those were very positive. We break down mechanics pretty quickly and look for certain things, and what we saw in those swings was really, really good."

 

Iguchi hit .271 with 149 home runs and 159 stolen bases over eight seasons with Fukuoka during his tenure in Japan. The 30-year-old second baseman already has begun his own Spring Training, of sorts, focusing on adjusting to the new strike zone in the United States.

 

The White Sox plan to be flexible where Iguchi is concerned, providing him with as much or as little information as he desires. Helping Iguchi make the transition to the Major Leagues is the most important task ahead for the coaches, according to Walker.

 

"If he wants to hit at 6 a.m., we will be here," Walker said. "Some hitters do early work when they get to the park. Others will do it right before the game.

 

"We are going to tailor the work around his individual preferences. We want to help him be successful and help the team win."

 

Select company: Iguchi becomes the 22nd player to make the move from Japan to the United States, with Shingo Takatsu, Kazuhito Tadano (Cleveland) and Akinori Otsuka (San Diego) all joining the Majors in 2004. Iguchi follows Kaz Matsui as the second Far Eastern import on the infield and just the sixth position player.

 

Fan friendly: Williams gave an assist for Thursday's important signing to the White Sox fans, who welcomed Takatsu so warmly in 2004. Takatsu's success also helped the White Sox overseas.

 

"There's no doubt that because of [shingo's] success, we gained a higher profile in Japan," Williams said. "But the success of Shingo, that's separate. It's attributed to Shingo and his abilities to acclimate himself to Chicago.

 

"We have garnished quite a bit more respect with the way our fans treated Shingo and took him in. I don't recall every having a guy coming into the game from the bullpen and people standing on their feet.

 

"It's a community effort to raise the profile and respect level for the organization," Williams added.

 

Healthy and happy: Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was present during Thursday's Iguchi press conference. He is recovering nicely after undergoing an angioplasty procedure on Jan. 17 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after routine tests found minor blockage.