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Major league baseball is without a doubt the most prestigious competition a player can be a part of, which explains why so many try very hard to join it. Japanese players have constantly left their domestic league for a chance to compete in MLB and some of them achieved remarkable results across the ocean. Every now and then, Japanese players choose to return home and this is exactly what Kosuke Fukudome has done last week. Nothing can change his decision and this year he will play for the Hanshin Tigers.

The outfielder played for both Chicago teams and Cleveland, but his best results came in his rookie’s season with the White Sox. Back then, it appeared like the Cubs have achieved something remarkable by snatching this player from their archrivals, but Kosuke didn’t rise up to the expectations. He played for 3 1/2 years for the columns and at the end of his stint, his new team was no longer willing to extend his contract. For the Japanese player, the prospect of playing for New York Yankees’ Triple-A team Wilkes-Barre was good enough, but recently even this contract came to an end.

Fukudome has no intention of lingering any further with teams from lower echelons, and plans to return home where he is going to be a key player for the Hanshin Tigers. Before leaving Japan he played for Chunichi Dragons and in 2006 he won the MVP title which acted as a springboard for his brief MLB career. His new team also acquired Tsuyoshi Nishioka who played for Minnesota Twins for two years, but failed to meet their expectations.