White Sox select 2B Rikuu Nishida in the 11th round (No. 329 overall)

Short in stature and long in grindiness

With the 329th overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, the White Sox selected second baseman Rikuu Nishida fro the University of Oregon.

This is quite a wild pick, given that Osaka-born Nishida has had a short career in the U.S., culminating in one year of NCAA Division I ball, with the Ducks. He’s a burner, with 25 steals in 33 attempts, but also a bit of an on-base machine, slashing .312/.395./.443. And pay attention to that last number, because for a diminutive player (5´6´´, 150), Nishida has some adequate pop, with five homers in 63 games.

Nishida’s selection follows a bit of a theme we haven’t always seen from the White Sox in past drafts, targeting on-base guys with good BB/K ratios — in Nishida’s case, a ratio of better than one (at Oregon, 27 BBs and 26 Ks, numbers that are reflected in his summer-league play as well).

One caveat: Nishida has NCAA eligibility left, so the White Sox will have to lure him away from his senior year at Oregon. Presumably they have a sense that a slot or slight slot-plus bonus will get him in the fold.

2023 Chicago White Sox Draft Picks

First Round (No. 15 overall) Jacob González, SS (ranked No. 18 on MLB Pipeline)
Second Round (No. 51 overall) Grant Taylor, RHSP (ranked No. 102 on MLB Pipeline)
Third Round (No. 84 overall) Seth Keener, RHP (ranked No. 108 on MLB Pipeline)
Fourth Round (No. 116 overall) Calvin Harris, C (ranked No. 133 on MLB Pipeline)
Fifth Round (No. 152 overall) Christian Oppor, LHSP (ranked No. 225 on MLB Pipeline)
Sixth Round (No. 179 overall) Lucas Gordon, LHSP (not ranked)
Seventh Round (No. 209 overall) George Wolkow, OF (ranked No. 71 on MLB Pipeline)
Eighth Round (No. 239 overall) Eddie Park, CF (not ranked)
Ninth Round (No. 269 overall) Jake Peppers, RHP (ranked No. 187 on MLB Pipeline)
10th Round (No. 299 overall) Zach Franklin, RHP (not ranked)
11th Round (No. 329 overall) Rikuu Nishida, 2B (not ranked)