Kosuke Fukudome in 2008?

[TheKilo]

From SoSH/ESPN's chat with Will Carroll this morning:

 

Eric (PA): Baldelli? Seems pretty banged up already, will they stop playing him in CF and let Dukes shine?

 

Will Carroll: (11:22 AM ET ) Baldelli always seems banged up. He reminds me a lot of JD Drew, in the positive and negative senses. I think the depth in TB allows them to be creative in keeping players fresh and using the DH slot to rest people. It's also going to be very attractive come June to call up Andrew Friedman and see what pitchers it would take to get Baldelli. I don't expect that team to be Boston. They're looking at Kosuke Fukudome for 2008.

 

A corner outfielder with good defensive skills and appears to have a solid bat as well.

 

http://japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=1064

 

Career: .393 OBP, .545 SLG, .938 OPS in eight seasons with Chunichi.

 

http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showtopic=18181

 

Is this a possibility? Can anyone elaborate on this scenario? Does the Red Sox going after Fukudome make Manny expendable?

[MANNYHOF24]

Let's give up Manny for a Japanense unknown. Not a smart idea.

[Beckett95]

the guy reminds me alot of Hideki Matsui. Lefty with some gap power who will play solid defense as a corner OF.

[TheKilo]

You deserve to be slapped for asking that question.

 

Umm, why exactly?

 

A younger, better defensive outfielder?

 

Securing him opens up possibilities for a new Manny trade. I'm not advocating a move, I'm simply asking the question.

 

Does anyone who might have more information on this enlighten me? It seems rather interesting.

[ksushi]

the guy reminds me alot of Hideki Matsui. Lefty with some gap power who will play solid defense as a corner OF.

 

If all he has is Gap power in Japan be sure that he will be nothing like Matsui who was a 50 homer monster in Japan.

[Cocos Disciples]

When I read the title I thought it was about a stadium.

[example1]

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yTPVo5KA20

 

Here's a few video clips of him. Looks like he has some good size and a sweet swing.

 

I don't think asking about trading Manny is really out of the question. He will have one year left in his contract and should be affordable. Plus, the Sox getting much of anything for him before he's a FA would be a good thing. I fully expect them to try to trade him this offseason and this guy looks like one of many good options.

[TheKilo]

Kosuke Fukudome and Manny Ramirez shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence. If there's anything that would justify a Manny trade' date=' it shouldn't, couldn't, and wouldn't be Kosuke Fukudome.[/quote']

 

Please, learn reading comprehension.

 

I merely asked if an interest in acquiring a good, defensive corner outfielder who slugs over .500, by the way, opens up the possibility of a Manny Ramirez trade.

 

No one is advocating trading Manny. However, he's not getting any younger and won't be Manny forever.

[exsubmariner]

I think Manny is here until the end of his contract. As for outfielders, with Ellesbury, Murphy, they aren't going for another outfielder unless disaster strikes.

[Beckett95]

If all he has is Gap power in Japan be sure that he will be nothing like Matsui who was a 50 homer monster in Japan.

 

i meant that he'd have gap power playin in the MLB. his swing looks almost identical to Matsui's and he put up i tihnk a little over 30 HR last year hitting about .340.

 

id stay away from him unless somethin happens to the rest of our OF and the other FA available go somewhere else

[BoSox21]

geez, I saw the title of this thread and I thought the Red Sox would be playing in Japan at a place called the Kosuke Fukudome in 2008

[riverside sluggers]

Nothing at all wrong with asking that Kilo. He seems like he has a good swing and presence at the plate. I passed the info along to the guy who handles mlbtraderumors.com, see what he can dig up

 

Thanks for the clips Example

[TheKilo]

Manny at age 75 is better than Kosuke Fukudome.

 

Awesome analysis. really.

 

Manny with a .600 OPS is better than Fukudome? You've watched Fukudome play?

[Soxfan1]

When I read the title I thought it was about a stadium.

[MANNYHOF24]

Awesome analysis. really.

 

Manny with a .600 OPS is better than Fukudome? You've watched Fukudome play?

 

So you have little faith that Manny will hit 30-40 hrs and drive in 120 runs? If we trade Manny, then we throw all the money in the world at AROD. That is the only scenario I see possible, when talking about unloading Ramirez.

[example1]

So you have little faith that Manny will hit 30-40 hrs and drive in 120 runs? If we trade Manny' date=' then we throw all the money in the world at AROD. That is the only scenario I see possible, when talking about unloading Ramirez.[/quote']

 

Manny is going to be done on this team in the next couple of years. This FO is good at preparing for the future and they have seriously tried to move Manny a few times already. Those of you who think that manny will continue to put up 35 HR and 130 RBI are missing something. There ARE better players out there, given his age, lack of speed or really any defensive prowess in LF and cost.

 

So the choice is do we accept that or do we just pretend that Manny will be invincable for ever? If a reasonable deal comes along the Red Sox will pull the trigger. He has one year on his contract and then will likely go elsewhere. Our choice is whether we just let him go for nothing or get something out of it. I'm in the 'get something out of it' camp.

[example1]

I can't argue with that but the idea of that "something" being Kosuke Fukudome is almost comical.

 

Might you have said the same thing if the Red Sox had said 2 years ago the the replacement for Pedro Martinez would be a pitcher named Daisuke Matsuzaka?

 

Just because you haven't heard of a guy or seen them play doesn't mean they can't be really, really productive.

[example1]

3 consecutive gold gloves, and 2006 league MVP doesn't sound like this guy is some slouch.

 

He hit a 2-run PH home run off of BK Kim against Korea in the Semis of the WBC.

[ORS]

When his oblique heals, I suggest anyone who thinks these guys can't contribute watch Akinori Iwamura on the DRays. From what I've read, Kosuke has his type of game, and Iwamura is solid ball player. I'd love to have that guy on the team.

[Youk Of The Nation]

3 consecutive gold gloves, and 2006 league MVP doesn't sound like this guy is some slouch.

 

He hit a 2-run PH home run off of BK Kim against Korea in the Semis of the WBC.

 

As a Red Sox and Rockies fan, I feel the need to say that hitting a home run of of Byung-hun Kim isnt really something to be impressed by.

[Papelbon58]

As a Red Sox and Rockies fan' date=' I feel the need to say that hitting a home run of of Byung-hun Kim isnt really something to be impressed by.[/quote']

 

Does hitting over .300 in the majors impress you? That is what Iwamura has done. There is nothing to say this guy isn't just as good or better.

[Papelbon58]

I never said he was going to replace Manny, just agreed that he would have a positive impact. I do not in any way think he is Manny Ramirez

[Papelbon58]

Oh, well that is a ludicrous question.

[ORS]

Just because Iwamura hit 300 in April before getting injured isn't proof that Fukudome can replace Manny and that's the question being asked. Just because a player excels in Japan doesn't mean he'll definitely come to America and have the same results. Just look at Kaz Matsui...http://www.japaneseballplayers.com/en/player.php?id=kmatsui

I don't know why you are expecting proof. There's no proof he will be good here, just like there's no proof he won't be. You scout him, assess the risk, and make a decision. And, your take on the roster implication is way off. If they think his game is good enough to sign him, then Manny will very likely get traded. So, the roster implication would be adding a player to replace Manny and whoever they get back in trade. There is the potential for an increase in overall performance there.

[example1]

That argument isn't valid in my opinion.

 

First of all, I think your opinion is all you're going off of here. So let's get that out of the way quickly.

 

By that theory, you could say some unknown backup third baseman in Japan could replace ARod if he leaves just because you hadn't heard his name 2 years ago and you hadn't heard Daisuke's name 2 years before he ended up "replacing Pedro" as you say, which is also somewhat of a stretch.

 

No, if he was "unknown" overall you're idea would be correct. If he were some guitar playing, pot smoking beach bum from the DR I would understand your blanket statement speculation.

 

This guy isn't unknown, he's just unknown to you, which has little bearing on his actual value. I imagine Daisuke was unknown to you two years ago as well, even though he had had two successful olympic stints, an amazing career in Japan and his Koishen performance and the fact that the Sox had been quietly scouting him for quite awhile. The crux of my 'theory' is not "all unknown players can be great", but that "players who have great success in a legitimate baseball league like Japan could probably contribute at a MLB level REGARDLESS of whether or not BoSox34 has heard of them or whether he makes outright claims about them not POSSIBLY being able to replace a mid-to-late thirties Manny if his contract expires."

 

He hasn't shown nearly enough to prove that he's on Pedro's (Red Sox years) level quite yet. I highly doubt they'd have complete faith in Fukudome and just plug him in the middle of the lineup starting in LF in 2008 and that's what's being suggested in this thread.

 

I didn't see anyone saying he would be plugged into the middle of the 07 lineup. I saw people say he could play LF, but LF doesn't come with an automatic #4 spot in the lineup. Like it or not this team may need to replace Manny Ramirez with a player who is "only" the caliber of, say, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. Just like they replaced one of the best pitchers of all time (Pedro) with someone who is "only" the caliber of David Cone or Mike Mussina in his prime (I think we've seen that level of upside already).

[example1]

Exactly what I've been saying...the question at the beginning of this thread was if the addition of Kosuke would lead to a Manny trade' date=' the truth is that if they went after Kosuke, it would be the "player replacing Manny" that you speak of that would make Manny expendable. From what I can see, Kosuke and Manny are two totally different players so it isn't as simple as the original poster made it out to be, asking whether one could just replace the other. They would need to make sure that they could receive a power hitter who would compensate for Manny's departure from the middle of the lineup. Kosuke could end up being a nice player but he's no Manny Ramirez and there would have to be a major offensive addition to make up for Manny leaving.[/quote']

 

Not if there was a great defensive upgrade in Kosuke along with a trade for a strong MR and some young high-end prospects.

 

Your original point seemed to be that Manny's offense was irreplaceable, which might be true. But his overall value is not.

[example1]

Yeah...and this is what I've been saying. The original poster asked if Kosuke made Manny expendable but what really would make him expendable would be the addition of a Bay or Holliday type hitter that could fill that void in the lineup. Kosuke seems like a solid player but in no way' date=' shape, or form does he make Manny expendable which was the question being asked.[/quote']

 

My point is that an MVP from the Japanese leagues COULD be a Bay or Holliday type. Especially if he has a cannon for an arm (which apparently he does) and a good eye. And yes, getting a power hitting OF with high AVG, OBP and SLG does make Manny expendable. In fact, for the right price Manny was expendable this offseason, even before Drew was acquired. Manny is a tremendous player, but he isn't the best overall player in the league (or even in the top 10). If Manny is going to leave after next year (he is) and if there are teams who may be interested in him (they may) then a guy like this could be the type of guy you put in the lineup, along with the player(s) you acquired for Manny and the 15m you save from Manny's contract to go get someone else. I don't think this is what you've been saying.

[TheKilo]

No I haven't seen him play and even without seeing him play' date=' I can guarantee you that Fukudome can't carry Manny's jockstrap. The Boston media has painted Manny as a lazy, happy go lucky, below average defensive player, however people have started to take Manny's bat for granted. You talk s*** about his OPS, but it's only been below 1.000 once since his arrival in Boston. He gets off to slow starts but he slugs 30-40 homers a year and drives in over 100 runs a year while maintaining a good batting average. Do you understand the kind of effect Manny's departure would have on this lineup? Ortiz's value would take a considerable hit and this wouldn't be the same feared middle of the lineup combination that has been tearing pitchers apart for years. Maybe if we acquired A-Rod or some other slugger in a dream world acquisition, then that would make steps towards Manny's departure but to even suggest Fukudome as a possible replacement is idiotic and ridiculous.[/quote']

 

Jesus you're a f***ing idiot.

 

I am in no way saying that Fukudome will replace the production of Manny Ramirez. The thing is, not many people could replace the production of Manny ramirez.

 

But Manny will not be a Red Sox forever. He will not be able to put up crazy offensive numbers forever. He's going to need to be replaced, and from this article it seems the Sox are looking at Fukudome as a possible successor to Manny.

 

In short, learn to read next time asshat.

 

edit - And when I said does it make him expendable, it meant if you can improve the team overall (say, bullpen arms/a solid corner infielder) for Manny, and then add Fukudome, will the Sox explore it.

[jacksonianmarch]

Manny is out after 2008. Bet on that. The sox have been trying like hell to move him and at 36/37 he will be on options yrs of 20 and 21 mil.

[TheKilo]

You're the moron.

 

Your question was "Does the Red Sox going after Fukudome make Manny expendable?". In my opinion, it doesn't and not only does it not make him expendable but it's a ridiculous option. I think they're two totally different players and they would need a major offensive replacement to protect Ortiz which would essentially make Manny expendable. Therefore, the addition of Fukudome and the subtraction of Manny isn't as simple as you're seeming to make it out to be. They are two different players and there would need to be another acquisition related to this one which would bring in an offensive weapon and personally, I don't think Fukudome is the offensive force that we'd be looking for, despite the fact that he'd probably be a solid contributor. You're so retarded, first you ask a question and then feverishly deny that you suggested that. I was just answering your question, dumbass.

 

If a trade of Manny Ramirez and the addition of Fukudome makes the Red Sox a better overall team, why is it a ridiculous option?

 

I'm not saying trade Manny. But if we do, and upgrade in other areas, and then go after a guy like Fukudome, why is that an awful thing? The guy puts up a .900 OPS!

 

No one can replace Mann'ys production. No one. But Manny won't be a Red Sox forever.