What Has Happened To Fukudome?

[love_that_reefer]

Fukudome has completely disappeared since the All Star break. Fukudome is hitting just .199 since July 1st and is at .262 for the year but does have a healthy .360 OBP. He has just eight homers and 47 RBI and isn't stealing as many bases as scouts thought. He signed a 4 year, $48 million contract before the season and I guess this is what $12 million a year gets you. Hendry cannot be pleased with his foreign investment. Piniella has made is clear that Fukudome will start losing playing to Reed Johnson if Fukudome doesn't start hitting. Cubs are paying a lot of money and not getting their money's worth.

[rockin500]

a couple of things are at play here. He hasnt made the adjustment after they made the adjustment to him. The other thing is that you have to wonder how much the difference in play is hurting him. what i mean is that in the japanese leagues, the seasons are shorter and there are more off days. and do they play a lot of day games there?

the two good things: he is still getting on base, and his defense is still stellar.

I'm more worried about Derrek's lack of situational hitting than Fukudome's hitting.

[love_that_reefer]

Great point about the seasons being shorter. I don't know about day games but I would think they do play them, just not as much as they do at Wrigley.

[DMBZeppelin]

Like most Japanese players, Ichiro not included, your first year is an adjustment period. I think we have to wait till next year for Fukudome to get right. He seems to be getting along with teammates though, that's a plus.

[rockin500]

well, he hit a homer in his pinch hit at bat today.

[henks]

He said **** ur dome...what? LOL

[love_that_reefer]

well, he hit a homer in his pinch hit at bat today.

That's how you get back on Lou's good side.

[rockin500]

he's looked better today, getting three RBI on two basehits and a sac fly. his at bats looked more typical to what they were at the beginning of the year.

edit: make that 3 hits and 4 RBI as he got a double in the ninth

[nick]

a couple of things are at play here. He hasnt made the adjustment after they made the adjustment to him. The other thing is that you have to wonder how much the difference in play is hurting him. what i mean is that in the japanese leagues, the seasons are shorter and there are more off days. and do they play a lot of day games there?

the two good things: he is still getting on base, and his defense is still stellar.

I'm more worried about Derrek's lack of situational hitting than Fukudome's hitting.

Pretty much hit the nail on the head.


I think I read a stat that Lee had hit into a career high of dps before the all star break even... part of me believes this (along with lack of home runs) is due to his wrist still, which is why he has trouble getting the kind of arch on the ball he used to and has turned into almost strictly a line-drive hitter.