Kosuke Fukudome
| Kosuke Fukudome | |
|---|---|
| File:Kosuke Fukudome.jpg | |
| Chunichi Dragons – No. 1 | |
| Outfielder | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| April 2, 1999, for the Chunichi Dragons | |
| Career statistics (through 2006) | |
| Batting Average | .306 |
| Home Runs | 179 |
| RBI | 599 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Baseball | ||
 |
Atlanta 1996 | Team Competition |
 |
Athens 2004 | Team Competition |
Kosuke Fukudome (福留 孝介, Fukudome Kōsuke, born April 26, 1977 in Osaki, Soo District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese baseball player for the Chunichi Dragons. He is a member of the Japanese national baseball team, winning a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympic Games, and placing first in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He won the Central League MVP award the same year.
Biography
Fukudome was a fan of Chunichi Dragons infielder Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, and received an autograph from Tatsunami during his childhood. He would become Tatsunami's teammate on the Dragons 11 years later.
Fukudome entered the prestigious PL (Perfect Liberty) High School, and was quickly targeted by professional scouts as a potential first round draft pick. Seven teams chose Fukudome in the first round of the 1995 draft, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes won the right to negotiate with Fukudome by winning the lottery. However, Fukudome had already decided that he would not turn pro unless he could play with the Chunichi Dragons or Yomiuri Giants, and joined the Nippon Seimei amateur baseball team. 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.
Professional Career
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.
He was converted to third base in his second year, but his fielding made little improvement, and his hitting dropped down as well. He was converted to outfield the next year, and played poorly at first, but 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, and stopped Hideki Matsui's run for the triple crown in 2002, with the highest batting average in the league (.343). He hit .313 with 34 homers the next year, 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, and pinch-hit for a two-run home run off Byung-Hyun Kim in the semi-finals against Korea. He pinch-hit again in the finals for a two-run hit against Cuba.
In 2006, he batted .351 with 31 home runs and 104 RBIs, winning the Central League MVP award.
His total performance in Japanese career resembles that of Akinori Iwamura, who is a current infield player of the Devil Rays.
Concerns for MLB
When asked whether he had any interest in the Major Leagues on a television show 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."
Barring injuries, Fukudome will become a free agent in August, 2007, and he is certainly a player to watch for during the off-season. Some experts predict Fukudome will earn $12-15 million annually over three or four seasons. [1]
Accomplishments
- 800 games(863)
- 3,000 at bats(3,087)
- 500 runs(532)
- 900 hits(922)
- 100 doubles(192)
- 400 walks(426)
- 100 home runs(148)
References
External links
- Kosuke Fukudome's encyclopedia entry at ArmchairGM
- Japanese Baseball