Kosuke Fukudome was a fan of Chunichi Dragons infielder Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, and received an autograph from Tatsunami during his childhood. He would become Tatsunami's teammate on the Dragons 11 years later. Fukudome entered the prestigious PL High School, and was quickly targeted by professional scouts as a potential first round draft pick. Seven teams chose Fukudome in the first round of the 1995 draft, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes won the right to negotiate with Fukudome by winning the lottery. However, Fukudome had already decided that he would not turn pro unless he could play with the Chunichi Dragons or Yomiuri Giants, and joined Nihon Seimei, whose baseball team belonged to the industrial leagues. In 1996, at the age of 19, he became the youngest player to ever be chosen for an Olympic baseball team, and his team won a silver medal in the Atlanta Olympics. He joined the Chicago Cubs in 2008.

--Wikipedia