Who Might Be Coming Over from Japan in 2008?
September 24, 2007 by Geoff Young
Filed under Global Baseball, Hot Stove
That’s the question Jackson Broder asks at East Windup Chronicle. He profiles several hitters and pitchers playing in Japan’s NPB who could make the jump to North America.
Kosuke Fukudome of the Chunichi Dragons has been getting a fair amount of play as a potential impact outfielder should he cross the pond. Jackson compares him to Bob Abreu, with the caveats that Fukudome recently underwent elbow surgery and that some of his power could be lost in translation on moving to MLB (sometimes you get Hideki Matsui, sometimes you get Kazuo Matsui).
The pitching side is less clear. As Akinori Otsuka, Shingo …read more
