Where Will Kosuke Fukudome Sign?

Almost forgot about him, didn't you. Written by me for Baseball Nation.

5 months ago Al Yellon 33 comments 0 recs |

Comments

If I were a betting man,

I’d tell you he’ll be back in Japan next season, and making more than 1.5 million. He doesn’t need to hang out in America as some 5th outfielder to make a buck.

by Damen Jackson on Dec 27, 2011 11:22 AM CST reply actions

Dang you Al..

I actually HAD managed to forget about him, and here you are, bringing him up…

Locker has a receiver either side;
Locker fumbles the snap;
Picks it up, sprints out to the right;
Looking;
Fires deep downfield
MAN IS WIDE OPEN!!
TOUCHDOWWWWWN TITANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I <3 Mike Keith

by SoMissTitansFan on Dec 27, 2011 11:24 AM CST reply actions

Cubs new LF!!!! a platoon!

by TJ11 on Dec 27, 2011 11:45 AM CST reply actions

Wait....

I thought we resigned him. Oh nevermind, that was David DeJesus at three times the cost.

by ferris2001 on Dec 27, 2011 12:53 PM CST reply actions

what?

Just wee-un.

by jesus christos on Dec 27, 2011 1:24 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Wat

by Dcr18 on Dec 27, 2011 1:34 PM CST up reply actions

hmm?

DUMP GARZA

by shoemile on Dec 27, 2011 1:36 PM CST up reply actions

Guh?

by Nunyabidness on Dec 27, 2011 1:43 PM CST up reply actions

Al predicts he’ll sign for ~1/3 what the Cubs paid DeJesus per year on a 2-year deal. I don’t think he’ll sign for that little, if he does sign at all, but that’s where he got that number from. I don’t see much of a difference in value between the two, but there’s definitely a bigger upside with DeJesus.

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Just North of Wrigley Field

@JamesDaBear

by jameslcrockett on Dec 27, 2011 3:02 PM CST up reply actions

DeJesus will be a starter.

Fukudome won’t.

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by Al Yellon on Dec 27, 2011 3:41 PM CST up reply actions

What's your point?

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Just North of Wrigley Field

@JamesDaBear

by jameslcrockett on Dec 27, 2011 4:12 PM CST up reply actions

Generally, starters are paid more than backups?

His point was fairly obvious

by Nunyabidness on Dec 27, 2011 4:21 PM CST up reply actions

Exactly.

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by Al Yellon on Dec 27, 2011 4:27 PM CST up reply actions

And are overall better players.

by Dcr18 on Dec 27, 2011 10:40 PM CST up reply actions

Oddly, high OBP with patience at the plate with some defense...

I think he fits the mold of some GM. He’s left handed too!

by ubercubsfan on Dec 27, 2011 1:04 PM CST reply actions

Fukudome has Billy Bean written all over him.

The A’s buy him for cheep in early February.

by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on Dec 27, 2011 3:12 PM CST reply actions

Teams Fukudome might sign with...

The Athletics and Mariners are reasonable destinations. Both have OF holes and impetus to sign such a player even though they’re not contenders. They also open up next season playing each other in Japan.

I think the Red Sox might get into it since they’re missing J.D. Drew… but their whole OF and DH is left-handed, so he probably doesn’t fit (not that it did with Drew either).

Other options: Brewers, White Sox, Reds, Royals, Twins, Cardinals

Longshots: Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, Nationals

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Just North of Wrigley Field

@JamesDaBear

by jameslcrockett on Dec 27, 2011 3:17 PM CST reply actions

So you say there's a chance he may sign

with any of these 14 teams?

Interesting.

I think he goes back to Japan, and becomes either a fisherman or a novelist.

by Tat14 on Dec 27, 2011 5:19 PM CST up reply actions

Hmmm....

….maybe he could open a Chicago-style hot dog stand in Tokyo, with Nippon Ham as a sponsor?

"It's cold in April and nobody likes hard stuff in April. You go right after them and get in on their hands and get them unexpected, and it's a lot of fun." -- Matt Garza, 3/2011

by CaughtInTheVines on Dec 27, 2011 8:38 PM CST up reply actions

Cubs sign him and make him a first baseman

Chronologically inept since 2060
Q: Why did Chuck Norris cross the road?
A: Ditka
Ditka's mustache can kill two stones with one bird
It is better to spend money like there's no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there's no money! - Irish toast.

by Cubbie-Tim on Dec 27, 2011 7:32 PM CST reply actions

I'm just glad he's gone.

I know he wasn’t a terrible player, but he certainly was among my least favorite Cubs of the past few years.

He did one thing very well (draw walks), he did another thing very well for part of his time in Chicago (play defense). Otherwise, he was just endlessly frustrating.

Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

by elgato on Dec 28, 2011 10:37 AM CST reply actions

And you didn't even get to drive him to the airport.

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by Al Yellon on Dec 28, 2011 10:51 AM CST up reply actions

I was out of town when he was traded!

Irony of ironies.

Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

by elgato on Dec 28, 2011 10:58 AM CST up reply actions

That's probably why it happened when it did.

The Cubs knew how much you didn’t really like Kosuke and that you really wanted to drive him to the airport, so they denied you the chance.

Plus, the Cubs were in Milwaukee when he was traded, so you’d have had to drive there first.

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by Al Yellon on Dec 28, 2011 12:42 PM CST up reply actions

I also sold my car in May.

So, maybe, it just wasn’t meant to be.

Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

by elgato on Dec 28, 2011 12:51 PM CST up reply actions

Right.

You’d have had to rent a car. Of course, Kosuke could have paid for that with some of the $14 million he made last year.

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by Al Yellon on Dec 28, 2011 1:15 PM CST up reply actions

I'll always respect Kosuke...

…but I’m more than willing to put him in the past and move on. I’m still curious as to whether he’ll get another MLB contract. I’d guess his chances are around 50/50 at this point.

"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach

by daver on Dec 28, 2011 11:42 AM CST up reply actions

Maybe I'm taking too much from your statement, daver ...

but why did you feel it necessary to make a point about respect?

Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

by elgato on Dec 28, 2011 12:50 PM CST up reply actions

I just found him a very likable player...

…aside from his obvious results-driven inconsistencies. He had a pretty rough 3.5 seasons with the Cubs, and I think he handled himself very well. That’s all.

"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach

by daver on Dec 28, 2011 1:04 PM CST up reply actions

I had a soft spot for him

Because the one thing he did very well was something this organization didn’t seem to give two craps about.

DUMP GARZA

by shoemile on Dec 28, 2011 2:53 PM CST up reply actions

During the 2008 season

the Cubs as a team worked counts a lot better. Whether that was due to Fukudome’s example or the hitting coach, I don’t know.

I’m guessing he goes back to Japan.

by Clark Addison on Dec 28, 2011 2:08 PM CST reply actions

I'm sorry ...

but the talk of how Kosuke made the Cubs more patient in 2008 is just crap. Most of the same guys (Soto, Theriot, Lee, Ramirez, Fontenot, Soriano) were on the team for all of 2009 and most of 2010 — but Kosuke somehow lost his magical ability to influence the patience of other hitters.

I’m not sure what exactly happened in 2008, but I’d guess that a lineup stacked thanks to the career years of several players and steady performance by others made opposing pitchers less likely to challenge the Cubs. In 2009, Soriano, Fontenot and Soto were MUCH worse than they were in 2008, Ramirez was hurt and Kosuke was in a platoon (and Edmonds and DeRosa were gone). Only Derrek Lee had a better 2009 than 2008, and Bradley was mediocre. The 2010 Cubs added Byrd (who might be the least patient hitter I’ve ever seen) and a hitting coach who preaches aggressiveness.

Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

by elgato on Dec 29, 2011 10:48 AM CST up reply actions