Hiroki Kuroda -- next Dice-K or next Kei Igawa?

by montenegro on Oct 26, 2007 8:39 PM EDT

Kuroda makes it official; he's headed to the U.S.

Hiroki Kuroda has decided to pursue free agency, so you can look for the Mariners to be active in the pursuit of the 32-year-old Japanese right-handed starting pitcher.

Kuroda told his old team, the Hiroshima Carp, that he was opting out of the last three years of his four-year contract and would try to find work in the U.S.

As a first step, he's leaving Japan this weekend to fly to the U.S. to have his right elbow checked. Teams who are interested in Kuroda -- the Mariners and the Cubs are at the top of the list -- are going to want to make sure his elbow is sound before negotiations go too much further.

Seattle insiders see Kuroda, who has a mid-90s fastball, as possibly a No. 3 or No. 4 man in the rotation.

The Mariners will be looking for at least one or more likely two starting pitchers this winter after Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez didn't pan out in 2007.
Posted by John Hickey at October 19, 2007 8:54 a.m.

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i havent heard

that he has a mid-90s fastball...i heard he has 89-92 stuff, and the elbow problem doesn't help

he's also 32 so hes at the tail end of his prime...i wouldn't want him for the Yanks, although 2/19 for Seattle, with their needs, is fine

--http://yankeesfuture.blogspot.com Bobby Mcnally (alias)

by bobbymcnally on Oct 26, 2007 8:40 PM EDT reply actions

Kuroda

My guess is that he is somewhere in between. I could see the Cubs taking a look at him.

by toonsterwu on Oct 26, 2007 8:48 PM EDT reply actions

Kuroda

My guess is that he is somewhere in between. I could see the Cubs taking a look at him.

by toonsterwu on Oct 26, 2007 8:48 PM EDT reply actions

from rotoworld oct 23

An examination by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles detected no problems with Hiroki Kuroda's elbow, the Hiroshima Carp said in a statement.

Kuroda will stay in the U.S. and watch the World Series before returning to Japan. The 32-year-old right-hander is strongly considering jumping to MLB this winter.

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seems to be conflicting reports - according to this his elbow has been checked and is fine AND he hasn't decided yet......rotoworld oct 23, hickey oct 19.....someone has their story mixed up

by Wheelhouse on Oct 26, 2007 8:54 PM EDT reply actions

If you guys are looking for a terrific

Article on the big Japanese imports this year, this article will do you a lot of good.

This has scouting reports on Hiroki Kuroda, Koji Uehara (33, RP), and Kenshin Kawakami (32, RHP). There's also one on Kazumi Saitoh (30, RHP) who is believed to be up for posting.

Tell me what you guys think.

by elrey34 on Oct 26, 2007 11:59 PM EDT reply actions

ACK!!

I'll do it the easy way. Try this one: http://prospectinsider.com/2007/10/20/the-japanese-scouting-report/

by elrey34 on Oct 27, 2007 12:19 AM EDT up reply actions

I should also add,

This is somewhat recently new and it's not too late to get your questions to the author, Jason A. Churchill, who will happily answer any. He's a favorite of mine who is also a feature on the Seattle P-I. He's got a lot of connections to scouts and top National writers and he's got his head on straight so he's widely recognized as a credible source to both newspaper publications and the Seattle Mariners blogosphere.

by elrey34 on Oct 27, 2007 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions