There goes my Hiro

In addition to calling Billy Beane "sexy and cool," Hiroyuki Nakajima discussed the "Bernie Dance" and lack of American tubs. (AP)\In addiIn addition to calling Billy Beane "sexy and cool," Hiroyuki Nakajima discussed the "Bernie Dance" and lack of American tubs (Associated Press photo). ion to calling Billy Beane "sexy and cool," Hiroyuki Nakajima discussed the "Bernie Dance" and lack of American tubs. (AP)

The smile won me over. So did his noble attempt to speak some English, his love for taking baths and hoping to find some American tubs, and at the end his desire to learn the Bernie Lean. You hear college football and basketball message board geeks -and I'm one of them for my alma mater- who proclaim "he won the press conference" when a new coach is introduced and charms his new players and adoring but demanding boosters in the room.

Consider new A's shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima a big "PC" winner after the 30-year-old Japanese star held his first press conference Tuesday in Oakland. First things, first: I don't know what to expect from Nakajima; other fans don't; Billy Beane and Bob Melvin don't; the defending American League Western Division roster doesn't; and Nakajima himself doesn't. He won't be pressured to be the "difference maker" Josh Hamilton will be demanded to be from the Angels as he defects from Six Flags Over Texas to Fantasyland in the AL West's carnival midway.

Nakajima simply fills a need at shortstop for Oakland and doesn't have to be Miguel Tejada (though Walt Weiss in his debut in green and gold would be pretty awesome).  The A's made a play to re-sign free agent Stephen Drew, but once Beane decided to decline the mutual $10 million to bring back Drew, who filled in admirably late in the season as a waiver trade for the Athletics. He may well regain his pre-injury form that cost him 137 games spanning 2011 and 2012. But the A's made the right move to not get into a bidding war for Drew. Congrats to Drew and good luck to the Red Sox for the two striking a one-year, $9.5 million contract.  Boston can afford it.

My take on the shortstop position is this: neither Drew nor Nakajima was probably going to move the needle for the Athletics whoever ended up as the team's 2013 shortstop. If the A's can repeat as division champions and even get further in the postseason (ALCS? World Series?), shortstop play won't be the determining factor; it's pitching, power and peace (in the clubhouse). The A's must have big offensive seasons from Yoenis Cespedes; Josh Reddick; Josh Donaldson; Coco Crisp or Chris Young; and the first base tandem of Chris Carter and Brandon Moss. They hope to have a steady player at short Melvin can confidently write into every day's lineup and not be either a butcher in the field nor a total bust at the plate.

Nakajima is a smart signing by Beane. Yes, I would have approved had he sent some of his young pitching surplus to Cleveland for Asdrubal Cabrera. But I also am pleased the Athletics didn't sacrifice a Dan Straily, a Brad Peacock or an A.J. Griffin to take on a position where being just OK is OK in this era of big run producers at other positions. And that's what fans can reasonably expect from Nakajima. He probably won't match his usual production the last six seasons with the Pacific League's Seibu Lions (.310/.381/.474; 17 HR, 85 RBI). But as Susan Slusser pointed out today in the San Francisco Chronicle, Drew and Cliff Pennington combined for just a .203 average, 12 home runs and 46 RBI. Are those plausible numbers for a newbie in the big-leagues, but one who's a proven professional player elsewhere? Probably. Certainly, the A's can make this move for just $6.5 million over two years and not be on the hook for obscene salary money and you'd hope flexible enough to spend more money elsewhere if needed next season.

So Nakajima put on an Athletics jersey sporting his new number 3 (graciously given to him by Oakland third base coach Mike Gallego). The thirty-something rookie who wants to call himself Hiro should be given a hero's welcome for his first words spoken as an Athletic.  Not for what he said but the language he used to say it. Nakajima's English will be a work in progress, but he said he went to sleep at night practicing his "Hi, I'm Hiro" greeting in his non-native tongue, and admitted to working on it in the hallway before taking his seat in front of the table of tape recorders and microphones. So he overcomes whatever fears he may have by speaking English as an icebreaker. Meanwhile, that Japanese star in the Pacific Northwest spent over a decade building a splendid Hall of Fame resume but keeping his interpreter busy and avoiding a second language he arguably understood and could get around Seattle with by then if he really wanted to.

But charm and thoughtful gestures will only get Nakajima so far if as his scouting report suggests his defensive skills and the unknown of making a big transition make him a questionable everyday Major-League Baseball shortstop.  So the jury will be out on Hiro Nakajima until at least Opening Day, April 1, 2013 in Oakland against the Mariners. Considering he queried the press conference audience if anyone had any Bernie tips, he should fit in well with this new team. To be continued.