Hey everybody, it's Chuck Arfine. Welcome back to another edition of the White Sox podcast coming to you from Glendale, Arizona, Camback Ranch, White Sox Spring Training. And if there is a unicorn player in the White Sox organization, his name is Riku Nishita. I've talked a lot about him on the podcast. It is time for

a Riku Nishita podcast because here's a guy who is five foot six, a 23-year-old left-handed

hitting second baseman out of Japan. White Sox drafted him out of Oregon in the 11th round in

2023 and when he's on the field,

you cannot take your eyes off of him.

And the same goes for the opposition.

He wreaks havoc at the plate and on the bases.

He makes everybody around him better.

And speaking with the head of the minor league system for the White Sox, Paulannes. He says he is the straw that stirs the drink.

He's also eccentric.

He went to Oregon.

Why to go to Oregon?

Because he liked the color green.

That's his favorite color.

That's why he went to Oregon.

But the dude can play ball.

Last season, no one scored more runs in the minor leagues

in all the minor leagues than Riku. He flew through the minors, Canapolis, Winston Salem, Birmingham,

and in 127 games, he finished with 114 runs, 49 stolen bases, 86 walks. He batted a 304 with a 418 on base percentage.

So if you look at the list of the White Sox top 30 prospects, here's the crazy part, you're

not going to even see his name.

He's not in the top 30.

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