Rafael Furcal is a professional baseball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was called up from the minor leagues by the Atlanta Braves to replace the injured Walt Weiss for 15 days, then he went on to take the MLB Rookie of the Year Award. His full name is Rafael Antoni Furcal and is commonly referred by his last name. Furcal is pronounced as Fur-CALL. Furcal was born on August 24, 1978 in Loma de Cabrera , Dominican Republic . He stands to 5'10” and weighs 175 Ibs. He is a right handed player who bats and throws in right side. Furcal is regarded as one of the best base stealers in baseball. He is a skilled bunter, once bunting the ball past Robin Ventura for a double in 2001. Furcal has one of the strongest throwing arms in the league and is regarded as an adequate if not spectacular defensive shortstop.Furcal can disrupt the opposition with his speed and genuine base-stealing ability.
He's good defensively. As he possess strong arms so he hits the ball on the ground and loves to go the other way. He is still prone to mental lapses and commits more than his share of errors. Furcal has been known to lack discipline at the plate but has shown great improvement in recent years. On the Braves, Furcal was a cherished leadoff hitter due to his remarkable speed and ability to get on base. The Los Angeles 's GM said Furcal probably could have made it through the imminent season without having surgery, but the Dodgers decided it was better to have it done now. The switch-hitting Furcal, the 2000 NL Rookie of the Year, hit .284 for Atlanta last season with 12 homers, 58 RBI, 100 runs and 46 steals in 56 attempts. His steals total was third-highest in the NL -- and only 12 fewer than the Dodgers had as a team. Despite the surgery, he will remain a base-stealing threat and a top-five Fantasy option on Draft Day. On December 7, 2005 , Furcal signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 3 years and officially signing by passing his physical.
|
