Former White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi is reportedly a candidate to manage Team Japan as the next Olympic cycle approaches.
Before signing Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million free-agent contract this offseason, the Chicago White Sox had a very limited history with the deep talent pool that has made the jump from Japan to Major League Baseball.
Murakami became just the fourth Japanese-born player to ever suit up for the White Sox, joining Kosuke Fukudome—who ended his career with a brief stint on the South Side at age 35—and two memorable contributors from the 2005 World Series championship team.
One of those names is right-handed pitcher Shingo Takatsu, who recorded 27 saves for the White Sox between 2004 and 2005. Takatsu has recently resurfaced in the White Sox news cycle due to his connection with Murakami. A former player for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Takatsu also managed the team from 2020 to 2025 while Murakami was on the roster.
He was in Glendale for White Sox spring training this year and even laid out some lofty expectations for Murakami’s rookie season.
Then there’s infielder Tadahito Iguchi, the starting second baseman for that 2005 World Series team. Iguchi played 363 games for the White Sox from 2005 to 2007, collecting 66 doubles, 10 triples, 39 home runs, and posting a .764 OPS. As a key contributor to that championship run, he remains firmly etched in franchise history.
And now, Iguchi—who also paid a visit to Murakami and White Sox spring training back in February—may be returning to the broader baseball spotlight.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, Iguchi is a potential candidate to manage Team Japan in the upcoming Olympic cycle.
As a player, he won three championships in Japan and spent 17 years in Nippon Professional Baseball. Iguchi only played four seasons in Major League Baseball despite being a pleasant surprise and enjoying success when he first joined the White Sox in 2005. He later managed the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2018 to 2022. Back in 1996, he also earned a silver medal at the Olympics as a player.
Japan has emerged as a global baseball powerhouse and will be one of the favorites to take home gold at the next Summer Olympics, which will be held in 2028 in Los Angeles.
Samurai Japan will no doubt be looking for redemption after they bowed out of the 2026 World Baseball Classic earlier than expected. And they could turn to a familiar White Sox name to lead the way.