Throwing this out there: is Fukudome rather unimpressive?

[David]

why? that's like hitting a slowpitch softball. It's pretty simple, really. His obp is nearly 100 pts higher & unlike fuko, soriano is more of a power threat. It makes so much more sense for soriano to hit fuko in than the reverse, especially when fuko is more likely to be on to be hit in than the reverse.

Yeah, because when Soriano is taken out of the leadoff spot, he's produced so well. :roll:

 

I still say that Soriano's splits have little to do with lineup positioning, RISP, or anything else that has been examined in an attempt to prove why he's best off hitting leadoff.

 

His splits are strictly insanely hot vs. cold.

 

 

That said, I have no problem with Soriano hitting leadoff having a ~.900 OPS guy getting the most PAs on the team.

[Brett]

A .400+ OBP percentage hitter inserted directly into the middle of our lineup is pretty much exactly what we needed to overcome the high-K, low-OBP Cubs of years past.

 

Batting average means little in the face of a good OBP. Even with little power, Fuku is still well over 100 OPS+. I think he's fine. And he's not stupid -- another thing we needed to cure from past Cub teams.

 

Not to mention the fact that he salves the defensive misadventures of Soriano in left and whatever the alternative would have been (Murton?) in right.

[wrigley23]

Yeah, because when Soriano is taken out of the leadoff spot, he's produced so well.

 

Actually, much of the time when he's leading off he's in a slump. He is simply a streaky player at his best. Secondly, why is it that his is the only ego that needs to be massaged? It's best for the team to have high obp guys hitting in front of guys that hit for extra base hits. That is simple common sense. Lou only leaves his there because sori is "more comfortable there". He also left him in left in the late innings until his countless drops finally tipped his hand to pull him late in games. Now he's done it several times. It is quite obvious that lou is catering/pampering him. This has been a knock on sori since he broke into the major leagues. I thought lou was better than this.

[BigSlick]

he's like francoeur with 100 points of OBP, more ability to hit for average, less power and a weaker arm. aside from that they're pretty much identical.

also he has better range

[anabiono]

i don't have any numbers, but his presence has helped this team greatly and his teammates

 

i honestly don't think the cubs are standing where they are right now without mr. kosuke

 

i love him, and i never ever have bad thoughts about him when he comes up to bat...

 

worth every penny thus far

[CuseCubFan69]

I'm happy with this man in right. He's a solid all around player and it's nice to see a Cub player that can do a lot of things pretty well.

[C.C.]

Yea, I don't have anything negative to say about him. Just gets it done quietly on a daily basis.

[fromthestretch]

I love him but yes he hasn't been that great so far just average batting wise. He's been very patient and thus has a good OBP but has shown little power and hasn't gotten many hits in his RBI situations. He has played great defense though so overall he is doing well just not to the level we expected.

 

The bolded part is not accurate. His line with runners in scoring position is .333/.470/.556. With men on base, he's at .333/.455/.518. He has struggled with two outs and runners in scoring position (in only 35 plate appearances), but all his other "clutch" stats are fine.

[Fred Hornkohl]

I love him but yes he hasn't been that great so far just average batting wise. He's been very patient and thus has a good OBP but has shown little power and hasn't gotten many hits in his RBI situations. He has played great defense though so overall he is doing well just not to the level we expected.

 

The bolded part is not accurate. His line with runners in scoring position is .333/.470/.556. With men on base, he's at .333/.455/.518. He has struggled with two outs and runners in scoring position (in only 35 plate appearances), but all his other "clutch" stats are fine.

 

You can make the case that Fukudome has been very unlucky with RISP & 2 outs......

 

Fukudome           AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
bases empty       128   22   33    4    2    1    1   18   25  0.258  0.349  0.344  0.693  0.314  4.42  0.092  0.000
scoring pos        62   13   20    5    0    3   26   18   10  0.323  0.463  0.548  1.012  0.347  4.37  0.141  0.247
runners on        114   23   38    9    0    4   28   27   17  0.333  0.455  0.518  0.972  0.366  4.12  0.121  0.188
scoring pos/2 out  27    2    4    2    0    1    7    8    7  0.148  0.343  0.333  0.676  0.158  4.37  0.195  0.133

All ABs           242   45   71   13    2    5   29   45   42  0.293  0.401  0.426  0.827  0.338  4.27  0.108  0.188

 

... as his .158 BABIP suggests. One other "clutch" stat that is not so fine is his RBI%.........

 

Percentage of baserunners driven in........

 

03/31 - 06/15      BDI  LOB   RBI%
Edmonds             12   26  0.316
Johnson             28   71  0.283
Ramirez             34  101  0.252
Soriano             25   75  0.250
Cedeno              18   57  0.240
Ward                 5   17  0.227
D Lee               30  117  0.204
Soto                31  130  0.193
Fukudome            24  104  0.188
Murton               4   18  0.182
E Patterson          2    9  0.182
DeRosa              28  127  0.181
Fontenot            10   50  0.167
Theriot             16   88  0.154
Hoffpauir            1    7  0.125
Pie                  6   44  0.120
Blanco               3   30  0.091

CUBS               289 1151  0.201

 

..... but "clutch" being "clutch"..... this would figure to work itself out over time.

[wiumike]

Anyone looking at his home/away splits?

 

Home: .376 .483 .560

Away: .205 .316 .286

 

I could believe going on the road for him requires more of an adjustment period and he will improve on that over time.

[Fred Hornkohl]

Anyone looking at his home/away splits?

 

Home: .376 .483 .560

Away: .205 .316 .286

 

I could believe going on the road for him requires more of an adjustment period and he will improve on that over time.

 

The team splits are almost as dramatic as Kosuke's......

 

03/31 - 06/15      AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
Home              125   31   47    9    1    4   20   26   23  0.376  0.483  0.560  1.043  0.439  4.32  0.107  0.235
Road              117   14   24    4    1    1    9   19   19  0.205  0.312  0.282  0.594  0.237  4.22  0.106  0.133

overall           242   45   71   13    2    5   29   45   42  0.293  0.401  0.426  0.827  0.338  4.27  0.108  0.188

 

 

03/31 - 06/15      AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
Home             1250  238  387   78    4   49  222  153  244  0.310  0.388  0.496  0.884  0.353  3.88  0.079  0.226
Road             1207  149  309   70    4   27  143  131  248  0.256  0.333  0.388  0.720  0.303  3.84  0.077  0.172

overall          2457  387  696  148    8   76  365  284  492  0.283  0.361  0.443  0.804  0.328  3.86  0.078  0.201

[wiumike]

Anyone looking at his home/away splits?

 

Home: .376 .483 .560

Away: .205 .316 .286

 

I could believe going on the road for him requires more of an adjustment period and he will improve on that over time.

 

The team splits are almost as dramatic as Kosuke's......

 

03/31 - 06/15      AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
Home              125   31   47    9    1    4   20   26   23  0.376  0.483  0.560  1.043  0.439  4.32  0.107  0.235
Road              117   14   24    4    1    1    9   19   19  0.205  0.312  0.282  0.594  0.237  4.22  0.106  0.133

overall           242   45   71   13    2    5   29   45   42  0.293  0.401  0.426  0.827  0.338  4.27  0.108  0.188

 

 

03/31 - 06/15      AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
Home             1250  238  387   78    4   49  222  153  244  0.310  0.388  0.496  0.884  0.353  3.88  0.079  0.226
Road             1207  149  309   70    4   27  143  131  248  0.256  0.333  0.388  0.720  0.303  3.84  0.077  0.172

overall          2457  387  696  148    8   76  365  284  492  0.283  0.361  0.443  0.804  0.328  3.86  0.078  0.201

 

I'm going to go on a limb and say he is helping to fuel the home away split more than anyone else.

 

Any chance you can pull his home/aways on a month to month? I would be curious if there is any trending going in that. I would expect him to have friends while at home in chicago, but going on the road right now is probably pretty difficult for him.

[Fred Hornkohl]

Rather than monthly, here's the season broken down into 14 games increments. I know it's arbitrary, but it's also very convenient.

 

Here's you go....

 

Home               AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
03/31 - 04/16      26    8   12    4    0    1    7    8    5  0.462  0.588  0.731  1.319  0.550  4.18  0.127  0.462
04/17 - 05/01      32    9   14    2    1    0    2    4    5  0.438  0.500  0.563  1.063  0.519  4.86  0.063  0.118
05/02 - 05/16      24    6    8    1    0    1    3    7    4  0.333  0.484  0.500  0.984  0.368  4.32  0.151  0.222
05/17 - 05/31      28    5    9    2    0    1    4    4    5  0.321  0.406  0.500  0.906  0.364  4.00  0.085  0.214
06/01 - 06/15      15    3    4    0    0    1    4    3    4  0.267  0.389  0.467  0.856  0.300  4.06  0.122  0.200

home totals       125   31   47    9    1    4   20   26   23  0.376  0.483  0.560  1.043  0.439  4.32  0.107  0.235

Road               AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
03/31 - 04/16      25    2    6    0    0    0    1    4    4  0.240  0.345  0.240  0.585  0.286  4.90  0.105  0.111
04/17 - 05/01      19    2    4    2    1    0    0    3    4  0.211  0.318  0.421  0.739  0.267  3.91  0.108  0.000
05/02 - 05/16      23    1    4    2    0    0    3    1    4  0.174  0.200  0.261  0.461  0.211  3.42  0.026  0.176
05/17 - 05/31      20    2    4    0    0    0    1    4    2  0.200  0.333  0.200  0.533  0.222  4.33  0.133  0.111
06/01 - 06/15      30    7    6    0    0    1    4    7    5  0.200  0.342  0.300  0.642  0.208  4.34  0.142  0.188

road totals       117   14   24    4    1    1    9   19   19  0.205  0.312  0.282  0.594  0.237  4.22  0.106  0.133

Overall            AB    R    H   2b   3b   HR  RBI   BB   SO     BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
03/31 - 06/15     242   45   71   13    2    5   29   45   42  0.293  0.401  0.426  0.827  0.338  4.27  0.108  0.188

 

 

edit: look at the difference in the third set (02 May thru 16 May)..........

 

Gm#    Date       Opponent         Score  Starter         Opp Starter
.29  Fri 05/02  @ St. Louis     N   3- 5  Hill            Wainright     
.30  Sat 05/03  @ St. Louis         9- 3  Lilly           Lohse         
.31  Sun 05/04  @ St. Louis     N   3- 5  Marquis         Wellemeyer    
.32  Mon 05/05  @ Cincinnati    N   3- 5  Dempster        Cueto         
.33  Tue 05/06  @ Cincinnati    N   3- 0  Zambrano        Harang        
.34  Wed 05/07  @ Cincinnati        0- 9  Lieber          Volquez       
.35  Fri 05/09    Arizona           3- 1  Lilly           Haren         
.36  Sat 05/10    Arizona           7- 2  Dempster        Scherzer      
.37  Sun 05/11    Arizona           6- 4  Gallagher       Gonzalez      
.38  Mon 05/12    San Diego     N  12- 3  Zambrano        Wolf          
.39  Tue 05/13    San Diego     N   3- 4  Marquis         Estes         
.40  Wed 05/14    San Diego     N   8- 5  Lilly           Peavy         
.41  Thu 05/15    San Diego         4- 0  Dempster        Maddux        
.42  Fri 05/16    Pittsburgh        7- 4  Gallagher       Gorzelanny   

 

 

 

05/02 - 05/16         BA    OBP    SLG    OPS  BABIP  P/PA   IsoD   RBI%
Home               0.333  0.484  0.500  0.984  0.368  4.32  0.151  0.222
Road               0.174  0.200  0.261  0.461  0.211  3.42  0.026  0.176

 

Those road numbers sure don't look like our Kosuke !!!

[TheDude]

Among RFs, he seventh in VORP.

 

Matsui didn't hit for much power his first year over, either. .287/.353/.435 compared to Kosuke's .300/.409/.438.

 

Matsui's OPS+ was 109, Fukudome's is 120.

 

Matsui's SLG jumped almost 90 points in his second year. In other words, Fukudome's been great and he'll probably only get better.

 

I think you've got the right approach. In previous discussions, I 've likewise cited Matsui, and though I don't expect Fukudome to ever climb above 20 HRs, I do expect him to get better.

 

Fukudome is solid and dependable. Not at all unimpressive.

[cubsclapp]

Speaking of Murton, I'm shocked that nobody mentioned he's being called up with all the love he gets around here.

[Laura]

It's in Transactions.

[cubsclapp]

It's in Transactions.

Ah, my bad.

[chuckywang]

Fukudome's home BABIP is absolutely insane. What's his home LD%?

[RedFlash]

If you ask me who are the two players you want up in a clutch situation, with the game on the line, who would you pick?

 

I would say:

 

A: Fukudome

B: ARam.

 

I do think Fuku season is slightly done, only because he is still trying to learn the pitches. Didn't Fuku make a comment awhile back, that he was going to show people something new, late in the season, that they didn't expect? I believe his power is down, only because he is trying to learn the American pitchers, and how they throw, etc, etc. I think Fuku could have shown more power, but I believe his OBP would have taken a hit. I think once he gets comfortable with the American pitchers, I believe his power numbers will go up, especially at Wrigley.