Fukudome: I need to perform better

Kosuke Fukudome stopped by Wrigley Field on Tuesday to pack up.

And pack up he did - box after box, with some of them earmarked for his home in Japan and some of them headed for the Cubs' facility in Mesa, Ariz., where he will compete for a job next spring.

"Compete" is the key word.

After getting off to a hot start and making the National League all-star team, the rookie right fielder saw his numbers drop month by month beginning in June.

By the end of the year, he found himself a role player, and there are no guarantees he'll be the Cubs' starting right fielder come Opening Day in Houston next April.

Fukudome met with writers from Chicago and then the Japanese media after packing up to head home, where he said he'll go in early November.

Admitting he had to "perform better" next year, one of the first subjects Fukudome addressed with the Chicago writers was the Cubs fans.

"First of all, I'm glad I was able to play the entire year without any major injuries," he said through his translator. "My record as an individual, as you know, wasn't good at all. I'm sorry that I disappointed some of the fans who had really high regards for me."

The health issue was in reference to the elbow surgery he had in Japan during his 2007 season with Chunichi. The elbow didn't appear to affect Fukudome in the field, as he displayed the best throwing arm the Cubs had seen in years.

However, he wouldn't rule out the elbow bothering him at the plate, where he hit .257 with 10 homers, 58 RBI and an on-base percentage that flirted with .400 early before settling at .359.

"Throwing wise, I felt just as good as before," he said. "But hitting wise, it could be that the elbow contributed to some of the things I was trying to do. Me not being able to do what I wanted to do may have been (attributed) to the elbow surgery."

Fukudome hit .327 in April and .293 in May, but that was his peak, as his average and OBP sunk steadily.

"Even though the numbers were good in the first half, I never felt like I felt like I was swinging the bat real well," he said. "I never felt like my techniques were all down to the details. So it did not actually surprise me that the results weren't so spectacular in the second half."

It got so bad in the second half that Fukudome was benched late in the year by manager Lou Piniella. Now, the Cubs are in a position where general manager Jim Hendry will have to look for another left-handed bat in the off-season.

Fukudome, who signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Cubs last December, is no lock to win his right-field job back.

"I couldn't care less," he said before explaining. "It means that there will be competition for who's going to start in right field, and all I have to do is win that competition."

Hendry, who may again turn his attention to switch-hitting second baseman Brian Roberts of Baltimore and perhaps a left-handed hitting outfielder, agreed that no starting job is assured for Fukudome.

"We will be prepared," Hendry said. "We will go into the off-season, and by the time we get to spring training, we certainly hope that he will come back and be the all-star caliber player he was the first couple (of) months. But we will be prepared if he doesn't become that player."

Fukudome said he felt as confident as he did "when I first came here" and that a year of facing big-league pitchers should help him. He also said he got along fine with batting coach Gerald Perry and had mixed words to say about the possibility of bringing a hitting coach over from Japan with him next spring.

The Cubs suggested that as a possibility over the weekend in Los Angeles, where they were swept out of the playoffs.

"It's hard to say," Fukudome said. "What's difficult is that some hitting coach who may know me for a long time might be able to help, but at the same time, this coach may not know major-league baseball or the tiny difference in the baseball. Who I feel comfortable with is important, so it's difficult to say if it's going to work or not.

"I felt pretty comfortable with Gerald. His instructions were always pretty simple and direct to the point. I didn't have any trouble understanding him at all."

Fukudome was supposed to stop in and see Hendry on his way out. As far as still having the confidence of Hendry and Piniella, he said that wasn't the most important thing.

"I think the point is I need to perform better next year, period," he said. "It doesn't matter if Lou or Jim Hendry has confidence in me or high expectations of me. It's irrelevant. I need to perform better."