So popular with fans

JUPITER, Fla. -- Four of So Taguchi's St. Louis Cardinals teammates walked past nearly three dozen autograph seekers Tuesday and said they would sign later on a distant field.

Taguchi gestured to the fans that he, too, would sign later. All it took was one child's plea, however, to make him drop his bags and spend more than 15 minutes signing multiple items from each of the fans in the largely adult crowd.

"He's really polite, and they love him in St. Louis," hitting coach Hal McRae said. "He signs a lot of autographs. He's just a nice guy."

Taguchi feels a responsibility to oblige fans.

"It helps a lot to have them there to support us during the spring and regular season," he said. "I really appreciate them."

Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi put on his spikes before batting practice Sunday at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. (JAMES A. FINLEY ~ Associated Press)

Taguchi upped his value to autograph seekers after a strong postseason, highlighted by a tiebreaking home run off New York Mets closer Billy Wagner to help St. Louis win Game 2 in the National League Championship series.

This year, Taguchi is one of the top contenders to break into the starting lineup come opening day, thanks to surgeries delaying the comeback of projected starters Juan Encarnacion (wrist) and Jim Edmonds (foot and shoulder).

Taguchi, a native of Japan, has started 161 games over the past two seasons with the Cards. He batted .266 with 31 RBI last year in 71 starts.

One of the things he hopes will make him even more of a fan favorite this year is improved hitting, a trend he began last year when he decided to widen his stance more and model his swing after teammate Albert Pujols.

"That was all So's idea," McRae said. "I thought it worked well for him at the end of the year. He hit the ball well in the playoffs. Albert is a tremendous talent, and there's always things you can learn from him. It was a good decision for [Taguchi]."