This is Hiroshima's starter, not Seibu's closer.  Will be only 32 next season.  Would be a very interesting candidate for farther down in the rotation.  1997-2005 stats and 2006 stats.  He was #2 in the Central League in ERA, ahead of Uehara.  You'll note that Kuroda isn't especially a strikeout pitcher, but runs phenomenally low BB totals, in Tewksbury-, Radke-, Silva style.

Dr. Naka reports that Kuroda is Yamauchi-san's primary offseason target. 

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Taro, for those of you who just joined us, is one of the three D-O-V superexperts (Dr. Naka, IceX) on NPB baseball.  His knowledgeable take: 

 

Kuroda is my #1 value pick for the offseason. A good #3 starter coming at #5 prices.

Good low to mid 90s fastball with late life (late release) with good command and deception between his fastball and offspeed offerings. He has a very solid slider and forkball, as well as a show-me shuuto pitch.

The shuuto (which is basically a backwards slider) is a pitch he’ll throw every now and then to keep lefties off his fastball (so they’ll hit the ball off the end of the bat). He mixes his pitches well, and will often pitch to contact.

My one complaint is that he pitches too high in the zone with his forkball. This is normally to get weak contact from NPB hitters (since they can’t read between pitches due to an identical delivery), but in the MLB the high forkball is a gopher pitch (like Mark Lowe’s slider/change it doesn’t break nearly as much when its up in the zone). No worries though, he has the command to pitch low in the zone, and WILL in America.

He is NOT a guy whose skills won’t translate to the MLB due to relatively low K rates like Watanabe (warned everybody about him preseason).

Kuroda is the Japanese Roy Halladay. He pitches to contact and will follow the scouting report to keep his pitch count low and eat innings. He won’t have to worry about going 9 innings in the MLB.

 

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Have often wondered if there are unwritten reasons the M's could not bring two NPB players into their roster in one season.  Do the good ole boyz chuckle into their sleeves too much?  Does the invisible hammer come down from Selig?  Is it "allowed" to restock your rotation from Japan?

Taro followed up with this in early November:

Kuroda’s nickname is “Mr.Complete Game” due of his ability to pitch to contact and pace himself to go deep into the game. He is a competitor with a fastball that sits 90-93mph and will reach back for 96 at times, a forkball at 85-88mph, and a slider from 82-87mph. And of course the shuuto (an 87-91mph cut fastball that moves like a backwards slider) . He has also experimented with a curve and change occasionally in the past, but that is the main arsenal.

It really hasn’t been until recently that Kurodas hit the next plateou as a pitcher. In 2004 Kuroda struggled with injuries throughout the year, and got hit around pretty good, ending the year with a 4.6 ERA (much of the reason he has a reputation for being streaky). After that Kuroda likely worked his tail off during the offseason because in 2005 he came in looking like a COMPLETELY transformed pitcher.

When before Kuroda had more of a three-quarters delivery and his weight shift was higher (he stood taller), since the beggining of 2005 his center of gravity was much lower and he did a far better job of hiding the ball with a more over-the-top delivery. This was also the year he added the shuuto (cutfastball) to his arsenal and thats really been an equalizer for Kuroda. Kuroda’s fastball has always been his #1 pitch and the shuuto keeps the hitters from being overambitious on his fastball, inducing weak groudballs and broken bats..

All Kuroda has done since 2005 is quietly dominate the Central League.

Kurodas 2005-2006 combined numbers:

2.55 ERA
402 IP
6.92 K/9
1.41 BB/9
0.65 HR/9
7.88 Hits/9
4.9 K/BB

In 2006 Kuroda was even better, putting up a 6.89 K/BB and a 1.87ERA.

Keep in mind that Kuroda put up these numbers despite playing in the most extreme hitter’s park in the NPB, and despite the fact that every time he goes out he knows he needs to pace himself to pitch a complete game if he wants to give his (always bad to mediocre) team a chance to win.

Kuroda is the real deal, is going to go way under the market, and is apparently the M’s #1 target.

 

Dr. Naka offers the following:

Kuroda…
Nickname Mr.Complete Game
Famous for not getting run support (good match to M’s :sarcasm:)
(anyway he pitched for Hirosima one of the ball clubs in CL with poor offence)
Getting 1-0 wins and 0-1 losses.

If he is in the zone he is better than Matsuzaka.
But he has also many bad outings.

Control is there…
Good match with Johjima.

Better than Civic. Accord?? May have Cy Young numbers in the first 2 years of MLB. (cf. Nomo)

Cheap…
May he will sign for 2 years for 5M$/year MLB contract.

Good for M’s is that nobody wears his #15

BTW if M’s are getting Matsuzaka and Kuroda they should have 10 or 11 pitchers on active roster and not 12.

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Latest on Kuroda (from Dr. Naka) is that he is torn between his fierce loyalties at home, and his potential desire to play in the US. 

Lotsa people ask, would you prefer Kuroda or Igawa?  Kuroda without a doubt, and that's saying a lot. 

Power arsenal like that, 1+ BB's, revamped overhand delivery coming from the ground, 2.55 ERA in a pitcher's park — man, sign me UP.

Will review the vids and offer our own $0.02 shortly. 

Cheers,

Jeff