MLB New Import Tracker (June 30-Jul 6, 2008)

Kosuke Fukudome, RF—#1—Chicago Cubs
Birthplace: Kagoshima, Japan
Following in the footsteps of Ichiro Suzuki, Cubs right-fielder Kosuke Fukudome was named to the National League All-Star Team in only his first season in the bigs. He’ll join fellow Cub rookie Geovany Soto, and a (somewhat ludicrous) five other Cubs for the All-Star Game in New York, July 15.

So are Kosuke’s numbers All-Star worthy? His .391 OBP is fourth in the NL among outfielders with more than 275 ABs; his .287 batting average puts him in the top ten in that category. He’s fourth among outfielders in runs scored (58) and, according to John Dewan’s Plus/Minus System, he’s ranked 13th among right-fielders in all of baseball with +2. Also taking into account the Cubs’ won-loss record (best in the NL); the way Fukudome-mania is sweeping Chicago’s North Side (the likes of which Chicago hasn’t seen since Sammy Sosa was run out of town); and the international attention (not to mention profit) Fukudome’s appearance is sure to garner, and it looks like the fans may have gotten this one right. At the very least, Fukudome’s appearance is less subjective than some of the other players voted in for 2008—Dustin Pedroia, for example (over Ian Kinsler?) or Alfonso “Hop-Scotch” Soriano, who’s been hobbled or flat-out hurt half the year.

But Japanese baseball fans will have a thrill next Tuesday watching both Fukudome and Suzuki man right-field for their respective teams. Fukudome, who just edged out heart-string favorite Ken Griffey, Jr. in the fan balloting, was third among NL outfielders with 2.99 million votes; Suzuki was third in the AL with 2.01 million.

Kazuo Fukumori, RP—#14—Texas Rangers
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Demoted to AAA-Oklahoma.

Masahide Kobayashi, RP—#30—Cleveland Indians
Birthplace: Yamanashi, Japan
Well, the Angel of Death finally appeared for Indians closer Joe Borowski. The thirteen-year veteran led the league in saves in 2007, but so far this year he sports a 7.56 ERA, a 9/8 K/BB ratio, and has blown four saves while battling a variety of nagging injuries that seemed to sap his velocity.

What this means for Masa Kobayashi is less clear. Kobayashi took the loss on July 2, giving up a walk-off, tenth-inning home run to White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski (as a side note, watching Pierzynski round the bases, I could almost hear the death knell signaling the end of the Indians’ season. Progressive Field has a new slogan: Abandon Hope, All ‘Ye Who Enter Here—until next year). The Tribe hasn’t actually been in a save situation since then, but Kobayashi will reportedly get the bulk of the work at closer, for now.

Personally, I think Eric Wedge will mix and match between Kobayshi, Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez, all of whom we broke down in the last MLB New Import Tracker. It doesn’t seem like Wedge wants any of these guys—including Kobayashi—to close for the long-term, however.

Hiroki Kuroda, RP—#18 —Los Angeles Dodgers
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
See? That’s all that was bothering him: a little bit of shoulder pain. It’s all taken care of now.

Hiroki Kuroda bounced back from the disabled list in a big way, shutting out the Houston Astros over seven innings, fanning one, walking one, and allowing only five hits. He may never be a big strikeout pitcher—he’s struck out more than five in one game only once this season—but he’s the kind of pitcher that will play perfectly in Dodger Stadium. He uses his defense, induces groundballs, gives up the occasional hit, and as a result may, like Greg Maddux or Jaime Moyer, pitch until he’s fifty.

Kuroda had this to say to MLB.com after his start:

"I don't think I'm 100 percent. I'm not as sharp as against Chicago, but I was able to get help with [catcher] Russell Martin and had great defense and that really helped. As of now, I'm fine. Come the day after, we'll see how I feel."

No news is good news. Kuroda will make his next start on Monday, July 7, at home against the Atlanta Braves.

Alexei Ramirez, OF/2B—#10—Chicago White Sox
Birthplace: Pinar del Rio, Cuba
I love watching Alexei Ramirez play. He’s got this child-like exuberance that reminds me this is just a game after all. He walloped a game-tying home run in the tenth inning on July 1 and clapped his hands together a couple times as he rounded the bases, grinning ear to ear. He scored the go-ahead run the next night in the bottom of the seventh, stepped on home plate, then jumped on the plate with both feet, just like a little kid scoring the winning run in his T-ball league. Maybe if I didn’t know his background I might find his small celebrations a little bit obnoxious (although I must admit, I like my players to have a bit of attitude, a snarl if you will), but right now it reads like this kid is the happiest guy on the planet.

Both Chicago newspapers seemed to notice at exactly the same time how thin Ramirez is. The Sun-Times headline read “Stick Man.” On the same day, the Chicago Tribune quoted Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, “He’s the skinniest White Sox player I’ve seen since Michael Jordan.”

Officially, Ramirez is listed at 6’3”, 185 pounds, but he looks closer to 150. He says he eats normally, but admits to having a weakness for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Ah, nothing says American cuisine like Krispy Kreme I guess—the franchise could be a great ambassador for our neighbors in the southern hemisphere, apparently. A staple of the American South, and one of the main reasons a state like Mississippi leads the nation in heart disease, Krispy Kreme is certainly the right diet plan to gain weight, if it’s gaining weight he’s after.

Don’t look now, but Ramirez leads all American League rookies in batting average and he’s fourth in the AL in multi-hit games. And it’s not like he played every game in the first half—not by a long shot. Let’s get that ROY campaign machine up and running.

Yasuhiko Yabuta, RP—#27—Kansas City Royals
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Optioned to AAA-Omaha.