It's funny to think how much anticipation surrounded a rather meaningless spring training baseball game on Wednesday.
Such was the case for the first MLB appearance of Yu Darvish, whom the Rangers signed over the offseason for six years and $60 million (on top of a $51.7 million negotiating fee).
Survey said? So far, so good.
Darvish tossed two scoreless innings in a 6-2 Rangers victory over the Padres in Peoria, Ariz.
I almost feel embarrassed admitting this, but I set my DVR for 2 p.m. on ESPN News, which broadcast Darvish's first inning of action. I left work ready to relax and watch the spectacle. I didn't check my personal Twitter account or glance at the score on any Web sites.
He looked in command, especially for an early March 7 outing. Darvish reportedly threw seven different types of pitches, which many analysts seemed to think was on the absurd side. I disagree. If his command is as above-average as they say it is, I say bombs away. Break out the full arsenal.
The reason more major league pitchers don't throw five or six different pitches is because they lack the necessary control to consistently throw these pitches at an above-average level to big league hitters. If Darvish can pull this off, why hold him back?
I expect manager Ron Washington and pitching coach Mike Maddux to allow Darvish to utilize all seven pitches over spring training to see if that's going to fly during the regular season. Should be fun to follow.
Now, for some specifics: Darvish threw 36 pitches, 26 for strikes. His fastball clocked at 92-95 mph, which is fantastic for his first spring outing. In two innings, he struck out three and displayed athleticism in fielding his position on come-backers hit toward the pitching mound.
I foresee Colby Lewis being the Rangers' Opening Day starter on April 6, followed by Derek Holland, Darvish, Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz.
By midseason, however, Darvish could (and probably should) be counted on as the staff ace. His salary suggests as much - as does his impressive first spring start in his introduction to America on Wednesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment