Kosuke Fukudome

"Fukudome" redirects here. For information on the WWII admiral, see Shigeru Fukudome. Kosuke Fukudome (福留 孝介, Fukudome Kōsuke, born April 26, 1977) is a center field baseball player for the Chicago Cubs. Prior to arriving in the United States, Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. He was also a member of the Japanese national baseball team, winning a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a bronz... more

"Fukudome" redirects here. For information on the WWII admiral, see Shigeru Fukudome. Kosuke Fukudome (福留 孝介, Fukudome Kōsuke, born April 26, 1977) is a center field baseball player for the Chicago Cubs. Prior to arriving in the United States, Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. He was also a member of the Japanese national baseball team, winning a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and placing first in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2009 World Baseball Classic. He won the Central League MVP in 2006. Fukudome entered the prestigious PL Gakuen High School, and was quickly targeted by professional scouts as a potential first round draft pick. Seven teams chose Fukudome in the first round of the 1995 draft, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes won the right to negotiate with Fukudome by winning the lottery. However, Fukudome had already decided that he would not turn pro unless he could play... less