|
|
|
|
Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Kosuke Fukudome was re-introduced to the media on Saturday as the Central League’s Hanshin Tigers unveiled their biggest offseason signing.
The 35-year-old outfielder met the media after signing a three-year deal that will pay him ¥150 million next year with additional performance-based incentives. Second-year Tigers skipper Yutaka Wada also attended the press conference that attracted roughly 100 members of the media.
“My feelings are split 50-50. On the one hand my mind is clear. I think I’m going to be OK, but there’s a little anxiety,” he said. “Just seeing the number of reporters makes me think this team is something special, that this is a place where worthwhile things are done.”
Fukudome is not only returning to Japan after five years in the big leagues but also coming home to his baseball roots in the Kansai region, where he played high school and corporate league ball.
What is the track record of players returning to where they played corporate league ball?
|
Support BBTF
Thanks to
BDC
for his generous support.
Bookmarks
You must be logged in to view your Bookmarks.
Hot Topics
Newsblog: Joe Maddon calls ump's position 'baseball anarchy' (16 - 1:18am, May 21)Last: Robert in Manhattan BeachNewsblog: [OTP-May] Politico: Congressional baseball game, May 1, 1926 (3589 - 1:13am, May 21)Last: Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams)Newsblog: Heyman: Miggy-Trout debate rages on, but Cabrera wins all here (151 - 12:52am, May 21)Last: Cooper NielsonNewsblog: OMNICHATTER for MAY 20, 2013 (141 - 12:50am, May 21)Last: Los Angeles El Hombre of AnaheimNewsblog: Rosenthal: Ax to fall soon for LA's Mattingly (88 - 12:46am, May 21)Last: The Yankee ClapperNewsblog: Hal Steinbrenner calls tickets 'affordable' (29 - 12:46am, May 21)Last: What did Billy Ripken have against Elroy Face?Newsblog: Williams: Discover one of baseball's forgotten streaks (24 - 12:45am, May 21)Last: Misirlou is bad, he's nationwideNewsblog: TheZobrists.com (15 - 12:44am, May 21)Last: MontyNewsblog: Rare Feat Not Done Since Pete Rose (2 - 12:25am, May 21)Last: VoodooRNewsblog: Posnanski: Albert Pujols doesn't matter anymore (3 - 12:14am, May 21)Last: Howie MenckelNewsblog: OT: The Soccer Thread, May 2013 (977 - 11:53pm, May 20)Last: JH (in DC)Newsblog: Justice: 3-homer effort puts Miguel Cabrera ahead of pace from MVP 2012 season (2 - 11:32pm, May 20)Last: Cooper NielsonNewsblog: OT: NHL is finally back thread (354 - 11:25pm, May 20)Last: Robert in Manhattan BeachNewsblog: Draft Features Rarest of Prospects: Redheads (107 - 11:09pm, May 20)Last: Alex meets the threshold for granular reviewNewsblog: Sherman: Mets' roster of rubbish makes it impossible to evaluate Collins (39 - 10:59pm, May 20)Last: Jack Carter, calling Beleaguered Castle
|
|
Reader Comments and Retorts
Go to end of page
Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
1. Don Geovany Soto (chris h.) Posted: January 10, 2013 at 01:23 PM (#4344183)I was also bummed that calling him "F-Bomb" never caught on. Admittedly, it would have helped if he would have hit some more dingers.
Ehhh... I'm not sure he really "didn't work out" -- I think it was more people expecting him to be more than he was/could be.
2300 PAs of 99 OPS+ isn't lighting the world on fire... but actually - if you exclude his first season - he post a 109 OPS+ and 260/373/428 slash line in about 1300 PAs. That's not half-bad, and when you consider he could at least play a passable CF when necessary -- probably worth roughly what the Cubs paid him.
The big problem is that it took the Cubs forever to finally realize he couldn't and never would be able to hit LHP... if they'd have accepted him as a straight platoon player from the get-go, his line would look even better; and, people kept expecting him to hit for more power rather than appreciating what he was: a guy (which the Cubs badly needed) who got on base at a really high clip.
All in all, if you had to do it over again?
I think I'd still be fine with him getting the same contract he got.
I do wonder how that affected him as the seasons went on. I obviously didn't pay much attention to him once he left the North Side, but I recall him looking pretty terrible in general against all pitching while with the White Sox. The Indians, too. He played for them, right?
Yeah - his Cubs only career, like I said (even if add in the line killing 2008) was actually pretty good... probably roughly worth (maybe not quite, but close) to what he got paid for those seasons.
career 260/366/402 against RHP
career 251/326/363 against LHP
But - if you look solely at his 2009, 2010, and half-2011 with the Cubs, it becomes even more stark (and the RHP slash line looks pretty damn respectable... not slugging corner OF respectable, but pretty darn good platoon OF who can play CF respectable).
Excluding April 2008, he had a down year with the Cubs... he was awful after going to Cleveland, and truly dreadful with the Sox -- but the heart of his Cubs career was just fine.
lifetime in March/April: 333/440/503--he was never even close to that in any other month--his best was 281/364/441 in August, and as bad as 216 /316/326 in June
You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.
<< Back to main