A Falling Star

I recently talked about a Chicago Cubs player that is starting to become a superstar, which you can read by clicking here, but a former star is about to be on his way out of Chicago is Kosuke Fukudome. Kosuke may never of been a star in the United States, but before he came over from Japan, he was one of the best players in the Japanese Central League.

Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi  Dragons and was also a member of the Japanese national baseball team. They won a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and placed in first in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2009 World Baseball Classic. He batted .351 with 31 home runs and 104 RBIs in 2006 when in won the Japan Central League MVP. After the 2007 season, he was one of the most sought after free agents in the United States.

On December 11, 2007, the Chicago Cubs signed Fukudome to a four-year, $48 million contract. Fukudome said in an interview that one of the main reasons for choosing the Cubs was that he wanted to be the first Japanese player to play for the Cubs. He also thought Chicago had a great Japanese community and that it was a great place to raise his kids. Fukodume numbers are nowhere close to what they were in Japan and has been a disappointment for the Cubs. In his 9 seasons in Japan he averaged a .305 batting average, .398 on base percentage, 21 homeruns and 71 RBIs. In the US, he averages a .262 batting average .372 on base percentage, 9 homeruns and 41 RBIs. He has been a very serviceable player, but not the star the Cubs hoped he would turn into when they signed him.