Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Japanese ace Yu Darvish will be pitching in a Texas Rangers uniform in 2012.
Darvish agreed to a six-year deal worth approximately $60 million just before Wednesday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline. The agreement comes 30 days after the Rangers won the right to negotiate with Darvish and his representatives, Don Nomura and Arn Tellem, by submitting a record $51.7 million posting bid.
The club will now send the Nippon-Ham Fighters that payment and Darvish will come to the United States to pitch in the big leagues for the first time.
Darvish, who is still in Japan, will be in Arlington on Friday for a news conference.
Including the posting fee, the Rangers paid more than $111 million to sign Darvish, which is more than the $103 million that the Boston Red Sox gave up to negotiate and sign Daisuke Matsuzaka.
The 25-year-old Darvish was 18-6 last season in Japan with a league-best 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts. He walked just 36 batters in 232 innings. Scouts have raved about Darvish’s fastball command and what some say is a seven-pitch repertoire, which includes about everything but a changeup.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Darvish pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was 18 when he began his pro career and, after an average rookie season, was 12-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 115 strikeouts in his second season (2006). He’s been consistent since, going 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in his career in Japan.
The Rangers believe he will be a critical upper-rotation starter for years to come and will do so as he hits what should be the prime of his career. It’s an important addition for a Rangers staff that does not have a true No. 1, after C.J. Wilson signed a five-year, $77.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels in December.
It’s unclear where Darvish will slot in the Rangers’ rotation when the season starts, but manager Ron Washington has already said that veteran Colby Lewis will start Opening Day. The rest of the rotation will be decided during spring training. The first three games of the season are against theChicago White Sox, followed by three at home against the Seattle Mariners — and Ichiro Suzuki.
The Rangers’ interest in Darvish dates back a few years. They had a scout at nearly every one of his starts in 2011, and general manager Jon Daniels watched him in person last summer. The club has increased its Pacific Rim operations in recent years, with Lewis as its biggest success story.
Darvish visited Texas for the first time earlier this month to get a feel for the place. He took a tour of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, watched a special video the club put together for him that included some of his pitching highlights, clips of the Rangers’ postseason runs and messages from Josh Hamilton and Nolan Ryan, among others. Darvish also met several players, including Hamilton and Ian Kinsler, and talked with Ryan and Rangers manager Ron Washington. He also had dinner with pitching coach Mike Maddux.
“The biggest impression I got, or the most surprising thing that I saw, was how big he is,” said Maddux, echoing the sentiments of Hamilton, Kinsler and Ryan. “He’s big.”
The big question for Darvish is whether, unlike some of the recent Japanese pitchers who have posted in the past, his stuff can translate to the big league level. The Rangers’ scouts believe they will and so does Lewis, who beat Darvish in 2008 when Lewis was pitching in Japan.
“If you’re able to throw strikes, pound the strike zone and get guys out, it doesn’t matter what league you play in,” Lewis said last week. “If you can command the fastball and do what you need to do to get guys out, you can have success here too.
“He has overpowering stuff, especially in that league over there. The big thing that stood out to me was his fastball command. If he can do that here, he’ll have success.”
WRITTEN BY Richard Durrett covers the Texas Rangers for ESPNDallas.com & FULL STORY HERE
Follow Richard Durrett on Twitter:Â @espn_durrett
