2025 South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 37: Rikuu Nishida
Wow, what a season. WOW
Rikuu Nishida
Second Baseman
5´6´´
150 pounds
Age: 23
2024 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 86
2024 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -0.7 years
SSS rank among all second basemen in the system 2
Overall 2024 stats 127 games ⚾️ 1 HR ⚾️ 44 RBI ⚾️ .304/.418/.362 ⚾️ 86 BB ⚾️ 64 K ⚾️ 49-of-61 (80.3%) SB ⚾️ .996 FLD%
Simply put, whether you prefer the longball or K-rate topping 12, there’s one thing we can all agree on after the 2024 season: Rikuu Nishida is the most exciting player in the White Sox system.
Does that mean he’s the best prospect? Of course not. Destined to make the majors, and soon? Nope. But Nishida managed to go from curio to weapon in one summer, skipping from Low-A Kanny to High-A Winston-Salem to Double-A Birmingham, and was a factor in team successes at all three stops.
A big part of the excitement surrounding Nishida is not just that he’s an unorthodox player: Tiny strike zone, contact at all costs, pesky baserunner. But the REAL excitement should instead (or also) come from the fact that Nishida made a pro debut in 2023 that was utterly underwhelming — for those of us rooting for the guy, a bit gutting — and then came out gangbusters in 2024 to force his way onto the radar.
True, that gangbusters play was aided by playing at A-ball levels with competition younger than him. But by the time Nishida reached Birmingham, a merit promotion that would also help with the coming playoff series, he held his own. The Double-A numbers, small sample size and all, rang up as .333/.400/.333, 15 total bases, no Ks in 11 games. In his four postseason contests, Nishida bagged four hits and four walks, for a .409 OBP.
And in another example of zagging against the league’s zigging, Nishida kept his feet moving all season, swiping 49-of-61 bags for a stellar 80.3% success rate — and doing so in incredibly disruptive and pesky fashion.
A year ago, we would have told you to temper expectation for this novelty player. This year, we say the majors is no longer a hope, but an expectation.
Nishida’s Baseball Cube player ratings
Contact 98 (same as last season)
Runs 88 (-2)
Speed 86 (-4)
Durability 71 (+13)
Hitting 69 (+12)
RBIs 22 (-3)
XBH 17 (-4)
Power 16 (-4)
Average 58.38 (+1.13)
Normally we would not speak of Nishida and the major leagues in the same breath, and with the White Sox in lose-now mode the chance of a Duke Ellis call-up to take advantage of Rikuu’s speed/peskiness to eke out some wins is nil. But several players made the jump straight from Double-A in 2024, so given Nishida could soon be in Charlotte, we could see the speedster on the South Side this summer.
2025 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects
37. Rikuu Nishida, 2B
38. Shane Smith, RHSP
39. Tim Elko, 1B
40. Zach DeLoach, LF
41. Riley Gowens, RHSP
42. Prelander Berroa, RHRP
43. Sam Antonacci, 2B
44. Adisyn Coffey, RHRP
45. Jarold Rosado, RHRP
46. Ryan Galanie, 1B
47. Trey McGough, LHRP
48. Ricardo Brizuela, RHSP
49. Lucas Gordon, LHSP
50. Aaron Combs, RHRP (traded to Phillies on January 1)
51. DJ Gladney, RF
52. Abraham Núñez, CF
53. Andre Lipcius, 1B
54. Shawn Goosenberg, 1B
55. Caden Connor, 1B
56. Mario Camilletti, 2B
57. Jake Peppers, RHSP
58. Ryan Burrowes, SS
59. Garrett Schoenle, LHRP
60. Jackson Appel, C
61. Tommy Vail, LHSP
62. Bryce Collins, RHRP
63. Tanner McDougal, RHSP
64. Stiven Flores, C
65. T.J. McCants, CF
66. Gil Luna, LHRP
67. Fraser Ellard, LHRP
68. Zach Franklin, RHRP
69. Drew Dalquist, RHRP
70. Nick Altermatt, RHRP
71. Carson Jacobs, RHRP
72. Alec Makarewicz, 1B
73. Jacob Burke, CF
74. Calvin Harris, C
75. Terrell Tatum, CF
76. Phil Fox, RHRP
77. Reudis Diaz, RHSP
78. Jurdrick Profar, SS
79. Drew McDaniel, RHSP
80. Michael Turner, C
81. Caleb Freeman, RHRP
82. Braden Shewmake, SS (designated for assignment on January 1, claimed by Royals)
83. Connor McCullough, RHSP
84. Shane Murphy, LHSP
85. Mikey Kane, 1B
86. Daniel González, LHRP
87. Wes Kath, 3B
88. Pierce George, RHRP
89. Tristan Stivors, RHRP
90. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHRP
91. Chase Plymell, RHRP
92. Eddie Park, CF
93. Loidel Chapelli, 2B
94. Adam Hackenberg, C
95. Adrian Gil, 1B
96. Jared Kelley, RHRP
97. Lyle Miller-Green, 1B
98. Marcelo Alcala, RF
99. Drake Logan, LF
100. Cole McConnell, CF