Kosuke Fukudome

Full Name: Kosuke Fukudome	Current Team: Chicago Cubs
Height/Weight: 6'0"/185	Number: 1
Birthdate: April 26, 1977	Entry Draft:
Birthplace: Osaki, Japan	Drafted By:
Primary Position: OF	College: N/A

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1 Biography
2 Scouting Report
3 Statistics
4 Video Gallery
5 Picture Gallery
6 Trivia
7 See Also
- 7.1 Recent Kosuke Fukudome ArmchairGM Stories
8 References
9 Categories

[edit] Biography

The 2006 Central League MVP, Kosuke Fukudome (pronounced "KOH-skay foo-koo-DOUGH-may"; nicknamed "Dome"^[1]) is an an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs. He signed a four year, $48 million deal with Chicago on December 11, 2007, just a day after announcing that he would leave Nippon Pro Baseball to play in the Majors. Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella has stated that Kosuke Fukudome will bat 3rd in the Cubs lineup. He will bat after Ryan Theriot and before Derek Lee.^[2]

Fukudome was an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2007 season and was considered a top free agent prospect in Major League Baseball.^[3] Because of his contract status, Fukudome did not need to go through the posting system that Daisuke Matsuzaka endured. Jayson Stark quotes an MLB front office exec who suggested that Fukudome would be the biggest name on MLB's 2007-2008 free agent market.^[4] Per one early report, the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants had expressed interest in signing Fukudome.^[5]. Other teams, such as the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Chicago White Sox were also rumored to be after Fukudome.

Fukudome earned about$3.15m (in Yen equivalent) in 2006^[6], and was rumored, accurately, by one expert to command a four to five year deal worth $10m-$12m or more annually in the U.S.^[7].

Fukudome was a known baseball talent from an early age. In high school, many scouts believed he was his age-group's top hitter.^[8] Targeted by the Japanese leagues out of high school, the Kintetsu Buffaloes won the right to negotiate him via lottery in 1995. Fukudome, who wished to play with either the Chunichi Dragons or Yomiuri Giants, opted to remain an amateur. In 1996, he became the youngest ever player to be chosen for an Olympic baseball team, and his team won a silver medal in the Atlanta Olympics.

The Chunichi Dragons drafted Fukudome in 1998 in the first round as a shortstop. Manager Senichi Hoshino used Fukudome in 132 games in his rookie year, and Fukudome responded well, hitting 16 home runs, with a .284 batting average, contributing to his team's league championship. However, he also led the league in strikeouts, and had poor defense at shortstop. Fukudome was fast, and had a strong arm, but simply did not have the ability to field ground balls. He made several errors which led to his team's loss in the championship series, and was often taken out of games in later innings.

The Dragons converted Fukudome to third base in his second year, but his fielding made little improvement, and his hitting dropped down as well. The Dragons then converted him to outfield the next year. While he played poorly at first, Fukudome gradually made improvements, becoming the regular right fielder. His natural speed and strong arm worked wonders from then on, and he has received 4 Golden Glove awards in the outfield.

His hitting improved dramatically as well. In 2002, he lead the league with a .343 batting average; but for that, Hideki Matsui would have earned the Triple Crown. Fukudome hit .313 with 34 homers in 2003, establishing himself as one of the best hitters in the league. In 2004, he joined the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the second time, winning a bronze medal in the Athens Olympics.

He was chosen for the 2006 World Baseball Classic team, appearing in all eight games to the tune of 22 at bats. He put up a .182/.240/.455 line, with two of his four hits being home runs (the other two were singles). He had 6 RBI, two walks, and struck out twice. One of his homers was a pinch-hit two run shot off Byung-Hyun Kim in the semi-finals against Korea. He pinch-hit again in the finals for a two-run hit against Cuba.

For the 2006 NPB season, Fukudome was second to none. He hit .351 with 31 home runs and 104 RBIs, winning the Central League MVP award. He lead the Central League in BA, SLG, OBP, and doubles, and his 47 doubles was a league-record.^[9]

When asked whether he had any interest in the Major Leagues on Japanese TV show "Super Saturday" in the 2006 off-season, Fukudome answered "It would be a lie to say I didn't. Playing in the World Baseball Classic increased my desire to play in the majors."^[10] Alex Ochoa, former MLB player who was Fukudome's teammate on the Dragons, told Baseball Prospectus that:

He’s one of the best players in Japan, and as far as I know he’s interested in playing over here. He’s won two batting titles, and he hit 31 home runs last year, so he’s good. I can see him starting for a major league team. I've also told him that he wants to have "Kosuke" on his uniform if he plays here. He doesn’t want to have "Fukudome."^[11]

Fukudome was a free agent after the 2007 season. In 2007, he hit 13 homers and put up a .294/.443/.520 line in 269 at bats before going under the knife to remove bone fragments from his right elbow.^[12]

[edit] Scouting Report

Fukudome has doubles-power and will likely put up a high OBP in the Majors, but won't slug a lot of home runs.^[13] Defensively, he's best suited for right field, but could plug into center if need be.^[14] Mike Plugh, of Baseball Prospectus, says that "Fukudome is tailor-made for the Major Leagues. [...] He has patience as well as power to the gaps, a recipe for success, especially if he chooses to play in a ballpark with a spacious outfield." Plugh warns that Fukudome won't hit more than 20 homers, "but 50 doubles is not out of the question[, and] when compared to his [Japanese] peers, [...] his habitual .400+ OBP."^[15]

One projection system estimates that a 2007 version of Fukudome would put up a .300/.375/.500 line in the Majors.^[16] Former New York Yankee third baseman Mike Pagliarulo, now an independent scout, called Fukudome one of Japan's better athletes and said that, "when evaluating the 2007 MLB line-ups, Fukudome could bat fifth in the line-up for 11 of the 30 teams. He projects to the following: .265 AVG, .380 OBP, 20–30 HR, 80–100 RBI and 10 SB." ^[17]

[edit] Statistics


Year	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	K	BA	SLG	OBP
1999	526	461	76	131	25	2	16	52	4	7	50	121	.284	.451	.359
2000	368	316	50	80	18	2	13	42	8	5	45	79	.253	.446	.350
2001	442	375	51	94	22	2	15	56	8	4	56	90	.251	.440	.352
2002	608	542	85	186	42	3	19	65	4	2	56	96	.343	.537	.406
2003	617	528	107	165	30	11	34	96	10	5	78	118	.312	.604	.401
2004	404	350	61	97	19	7	23	81	8	3	48	93	.277	.569	.367
2005	612	515	102	169	39	6	28	103	13	5	93	128	.328	.590	.430
2006	578	496	117	174	47	5	31	104	11	2	76	94	.351	.653	.438

See footnote for source. ^[18]

[edit] Video Gallery

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Fukudome-1194883232-940	Fukudome-1194883232-379	Fukudome-1194883232-613
Fukudome-1194883232-302	Fukudome-1194883232-791	Fukudome-1194883306-155
Fukudome-1194883306-876	Fukudome-1194883306-662	Outfield canon to 1B for out
Kosuke Fukudome-1199671773-315	Kosuke Fukudome-1207531635-413	Kosuke Fukudome-1207531636-784
Kosuke Fukudome-1207531636-292	Kosuke Fukudome-1207531636-575	Kosuke Fukudome-1207531636-391
Kosuke Fukudome-1207531636-900

[edit] Picture Gallery

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[edit] Trivia

Hit for the cycle on June 8, 2003, while playing with the Chunichi Dragons^[19]
His 47 doubles in 2006 not only lead the Central League, but was a single-season record.^[20]
He has used "Around the World" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and "Blue Orchid" by the White Stripes.^[21]
On June 6, 2001, Fukudome hit a home run off Darrell May. It was the first official pitch at the Sapporo Dome.
In January 2007, his official website was hacked twice.^[22]