Kosuke Fukudome

Kosuke Fukudome 福留 孝介
Fukudome with the Hanshin Tigers in 2013
Hanshin Tigers – No. 8
Outfielder
Born: (1977-04-26) April 26, 1977 (age 39) Osaki, Soo District, Kagoshima, Japan
Batted: Left Threw: Right
Professional debut
NPB: April 2, 1999, for the Chunichi Dragons
MLB: March 31, 2008, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
June 26, 2012, for the Chicago White Sox
NPB statistics (through 2016)
Batting average	.296
Home runs	238
Hits	1,576
Runs batted in	847
MLB statistics (through 2012 season)
Batting average	.258
Home Runs	42
Hits	498
Runs batted in	195
Teams
Chunichi Dragons (1999–2007) Chicago Cubs (2008–2011) Cleveland Indians (2011) Chicago White Sox (2012) Hanshin Tigers (2013–present)
Career highlights and awards
NPB 2006 Central League MVP 4× Best Nine Award (2002–2003, 2006, 2015) 4× NPB All-Star (1999, 2002–2004) 5x Golden Glove (most recently 2006, 2015) 2x Hit for the cycle (June 8, 2003), (July 30, 2016) MLB All-Star (2008) WBC 2 x World Baseball Classic champion (2006, 2009)

Kosuke Fukudome

Medal record
Men's baseball
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
	1996 Atlanta	Team
	2004 Athens	Team
World Baseball Classic
	2006 San Diego	Team
	2009 Los Angeles	Team

NPB

MLB

WBC

Kosuke Fukudome (福留 孝介, Fukudome Kōsuke^?, born April 26, 1977) (pronounced KOH-skay Foo-koo-DOUGH-may) is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball.

He previously played in Major League Baseball, primarily with 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 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, 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 with the Chunichi Dragons or Yomiuri Giants, and joined Nihon Seimei, whose baseball team belonged to the industrial leagues. In 1996, at the age of 19, he became the youngest player to ever be chosen for an Olympic baseball team, and his team won a silver medal in the Atlanta Olympics.