So Long, So

With the selection of Brian Barton in the Rule 5 draft and the release of So Taguchi, the So Taguchi era has officially ended in St. Louis. It seems like yesterday that the Cardinals had signed the Japanese outfielder, and, although we we're warned he wasn't of the caliber of Ichiro, So Taguchi-mania spread through Cardinal Nation as we dreamt of another Japanese superstar in the making. So never reached Ichiro-status, but he turned in a productive career in St. Louis. In six seasons with the Cardinals, So compiled a pretty decent line:

G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS+
578	1267	359	68	6	19	154	36	93	177	.283	.336	.391	89

Of course we all remember So's dramatic home run off Billy Wagner in Game 2 of the NLCS, an event that eventually led to the upset over the Mets. It is my fondest memory of So, in addition to the "He's So Taguchi!" craze that sprouted up on St. Louis radio shows a few years ago. So Taguchi was a player that never backed down in the face of scrutiny. Multiple times he was called out last year for mistakes in the outfield, but multiple times he responded by recording clutch hits. According to FanGraphs, So Taguchi was indeed more clutch than Albert Pujols in 2007 - .34 against AP's .28 - using a formula comparing win probability added. That discovery didn't really surprise me after the amount of clutch at-bats So took. Sure, it's a somewhat one-faceted and vague stat to measure, but have we really even appreciated So for who he was when he was here?

Perhaps So's greatest accomplishment came off the baseball field. He became the first Japanese-born player in St. Louis Cardinals history, which will undoubtedly prove to be very significant as Japanese players continue to rise in ability and prevalence in American baseball. His signing signaled the beginning of an international transition the Cardinals were willing to embark on, including more baseball academies outside the U.S and increased relations with foreign-born players. It integrated Japanese culture with the traditional Midwest mindset. "So Taguchi-mania" was far more important in a cultural context than a baseball one, and perhaps did more to show how exactly baseball has become culture in many ways. So's knack for getting the clutch base hit was icing on the cake, although it ended up being crucial to this team's World Series championship.

All in all, I'm thankful for what So Taguchi brought to St. Louis - his humble demeanor, his willing attitude, his "clutchiness", and the international expansion of Cardinals baseball his signing marked. He didn't quit when he was relegated to the minors in 2003 and 2004; instead, So Taguchi proved to be more about playing baseball than appeasing his ego. Additionally, his presence in the community and the Cardinals exposure he brought to Japan are two aspects of So's profile that can't be measured. So long, So. Thanks for being a historic player for the St. Louis Cardinals.

A website devoted to So can be found here.