Fukudome struggles again, so Piniella plans a talk

Lou Piniella plans on having a conversation about hitting mechanics Sunday with struggling right-fielder Kosuke Fukudome, who went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts Saturday in the 9-2 victory over Washington.

[Rod from Tennessee]

I don't know. Fukudome is about 30-31 yrs. old i believe, and has probably had the same hitting style his entire career. Perhaps it's some sort of slump, that Pinella and Perry can help him snap out of, or it could be a case that American baseball pitching is just too much for the guy, which is what i believe it is. He did ok early on, but when the NL pitchers figured out his weak spots, he has gone into the tank bigtime. Hopefully it's not the case, but it's looking alot like he's not going to be of much help to the Cubs, and with the whole Japanese nation looking on, i'm sure the Cubs want to give him every chance possible, but you have to wonder when enough is enough with the guy.

[Eric]

well for one thing MLB pitching is totally different from Japanese pitching & If you
take a look at his career avg.,He's not too
far off from his normally production I think
he needs some rest for 1 & 2
he needs to study what pitchers are trying
& are so far being successful in pitching
to him,because he's fabulous in RF & Very
adept at taking walks & Running up pitch
counts,Get this guy some rest & talk some
hitting strategy & concepts,which Lou's
gonna do......He'll be fine..........

[John David]

Fukudome has worn out his welcome long time ago. Time to bench the guy. Call up Micah Hoffupair and give him a chance at his position. How is that 4 year 40 million deal looking Hendry. WOW! What a steal. More like a dud. Go back to Japan Fukodome and work on that terrible swing of yours. Billy Williams had a swing that was called "Poetry in motion". Fukodome's swing is more like fill in the blank.

[Van]

John David wrote:

Fukudome has worn out his welcome long time ago. Time to bench the guy. Call up Micah Hoffupair and give him a chance at his position. How is that 4 year 40 million deal looking Hendry. WOW! What a steal. More like a dud. Go back to Japan Fukodome and work on that terrible swing of yours. Billy Williams had a swing that was called "Poetry in motion". Fukodome's swing is more like fill in the blank.

Fukudome is a skilled professional who is in a slump. The pitchers adjusted to him, and I am sure he will eventually adjust to the pitchers. I am sure there are language and cultural barriers which affect his play. These barriers could cause him to take longer to come out of the slump. I am confident that he will eventually overcome his problems, so cut him some slack. The Cubs are having a fantastic season, and Fukudome is not without his contributions; enjoy the ride.

[wince earl]

chicago has great pitching so i feel this would not be a problem in the playoffs.i do wonder sometimes about the hitting. but i feel this is not a problem that the cubs cannot work out because their bench is strong.one of the best all around teams in baseball and i see them getting even better in the future.

[bobbyw]

This is all true. Two things concern me tho with Piniella and his hard headed approach to the past. First, Howry needs to go. He's lost velocity and command. what else is there to say? Second, Daryl Ward has simply not performed and his bat speed has all but disappeared. Micah Hoffhaier is ready at Iowa where he hits above. 300 as he does at Wrigley and other big league parks. Felix Pie also hits from the port side and is finally "getting it" with understanding the strike zone.
These moves alone would ensure post season success. Piniella needs to listen to Hendry on these moves.If he can keep Fukudome from a batting style linked to Ichiro he might keep his job under Mark Cuban as the next Cubs owner.

[Keeping it in Perspective]

Never thought I'd see someone call for Pie to come up.