Following the 2006 season Hiroki Kuroda was good as gone. Expected to be the No. 2 arm for hire (after Matsuzaka Daisuke), with no posting fee, a potential back end rotation guy coming off a career year…throwing a mystery pitch to boot.

But the pitcher who struck out Matsui Hideki in his first batter faced surprised all the pundits and signed a four-year 1.2 million Yen contract to stay with Japan’s version of the Pittsburgh Pirates–the Hiroshima Carp.

Flash forward to 2007. Another mediocre performance by the Carp (60-80-2) and suddenly Kuroda is on his way to the U.S. again. However, this time he’s announced thenews, and is reportedly in the states now getting his elbow looked at. He’s even going to take in a World Series game.

Who knows who he’s with. Maybe he’ll be sipping champange in the box of Yamauchi Hiroshi, getting pelted by wads of cash thrown by Jim Hendry and co. from the box next door.

2007 was a rough year for Kuroda. 12-8, 3.56 isn’t a bad season pitching for a team like the Carp, but compared to his 2006 numbers it must have been disappointing.

In fact one might have expected 2006 to turnout more like 2007 did. Picked to be part of Japan’s World Baseball Classic squad, he injured his right index finger and couldn’t play. Later that spring he complained of shoulder soreness, but decided to pitch through it. On top of everything a new rule had forced him to adjust his delivery, which he said was effecting his mechanics and confidence in throwing hard (Kuroda usually throws in the 92-96 MPH range).

Sound like a recipe for a career year? It was. Kuroda dominated in 2006 going 13-6 on with a 1.85 ERA. He was named the Central League’s pitcher of the month in both July and August and finished with just 21 walks on the year good for a 1.1 BB/9. His HR rate was the lowest of his career (12) and his strikeout rate was a healthy 7.6 K/9.

Everything seemed to point to Kuroda going to the U.S. Reports of his wife and child starting English lessons further stoked the fire. As the season wound down, Kuroda came down with elbow inflamation and his missed the last six weeks of the year, but it didn’t stop his name being mentioned as a possibility with the Tigers, Mariners, Padres, Cubs and Mets, usually with an emphasis on Seattle.

At the time he was reported as saying ”I couldn’t imagine myself pitching against the Carp at Hiroshima Stadium in a uniform of any other team. I made up my mind hoping to win the championship with this team, where I’ve been for 10 years.”

Kuroda is well-known as a fierce competitor. His nickname translates to Mr. Complete Game. Over his career  he’s thrown 74 CGs, including 13 in 2001, 11 in 2005 and seven each of the last two years.

Aside from the mid-90s fastball, he throws a slider, forkball, and shuuto (also called a “reverse slider”, it’s a pitch similar to a screwball, but with less break). In 2007 his K/9 rate dipped below seven, which could be cause for worry, but other pitchers, namely Saito Takashi, have come to the U.S. and seen their strikeout rates go up.

Speculating where Kuroda will end up is anyone’s guess. He’s been mentioned most frequently as going to the Mariners where he’d likely compete for a No. 4 or No. 5 slot. But this wouldn’t appear to be based on anything Kuroda himself has said. The fact that he has a family could play into his decision.

The Cubs, who would appear fairly set with starters with Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill, Jason Marquis, Sean Marshall, and possibly, maybe, Mark Prior on the horizon. That said Lilly, Hill and Marshall are all lefties, so a trade of one would seem logical.

The Padres, who were hot for Igawa Kei throughout August, and were mentioned in the 2006 Kuroda sweepstakes, would seem a nice fit. What would Kuroda do in Petco after pitching his entire career in a bandbox?

In the post-Mastuzaka era, Kuroda, with no posting fee, less hype than Fukudome Kosume, and guys like Kyle Lohse on the verge of commanding $15 million a season, Hiroki looks like a potential gem.