Sports: New Cubbie has a most unfortunate name, but a strong bat
February 25, 2008 in The Sports Page Tags: baseball, Chicago Cubs, Kosuke Fukudome, spring training

CUTLINE: Chicago Cubs’ Kosuke Fukudome of Japan, catches a ball in the outfield at baseball spring training Monday, Feb. 25, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz.
The Chicago Cubs are counting on a power surge to lead them into the playoffs in 2008. Their newly imported outfielder will be a big part of the program:
Another player capable of joining the powerball attack is Kosuke Fukudome, who hit 31 homers in Japan in ‘06 in only 130 games, before an elbow injury led to a 13-homer season in 81 games in ‘07. Asked Wednesday whether he could translate his ‘06 stats to the majors and be a 30-home run hitter, Fukudome simply shrugged his shoulders.
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February 25th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
If only Harry were still around.
February 26th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Don’t count on more than 15-20 homers from Fukodome. The parks he played on in Japan have much smaller power alleys.