How about Yu Darvish?

In the past when people would email me about Yu Darvish, it was to call me a homer and tell me that he had no major league potential.

I haven’t received a single Darvish related email this season.

My Darvish conversations are down, it’s not really provocative to talk about a guy who came out and tossed a near perfect game to start off the season and who has followed that up with building a clearcut case for AL Cy Young.

What I will say at this point is: we still haven’t seen how good Darvish can be.

He’s been awesome, he’s been dominating, and he’s been featured in the most amazing GIF (pronounced ‘jiff’) of all time.

But there is still a lot that is raw about his game. He still throws a ton of pitches, but that will always be the way of a strikeout minded pitcher. It’s his control that still needs to get reigned in. His walk ratio is down from last year so far, but when you watch him throw during at bats, you still get the feeling that he doesn’t completely know where the ball is going. An element of self-surprise is good to some extent, because it also means that the batter won’t have any idea where the ball is going. But ideally, Darvish will be able to pick and choose his locations across his 6-7 pitch arsenal as he matures and gets comfortable with the the major league game.

There is a lot to like about Darvish’s attitude. He’s had some big success and the subsequent media hype, but he has kept his cool. He says the right things. He’s not cocky, he doesn’t even want to be in the ‘best in the game’ conversations yet.

If Darvish can stay humble and continue to find more control on the hill, we will see an even better version of the league’s most dominating pitcher of the moment.

Yu Darvish: Year 2

Yu Darvish had a phenomenal first year in the major leagues. He posted a 16-9 record while striking out 221 batters. Going on statistics alone, there is not much to critique. By all accounts, Darvish will be the Texas Rangers’ ace from Opening Day.

However, if you watched Darvish pitch last year, you know that he can perform even better. Last year was a year of adjustments for Darvish. Because of his superior talent, the adjustment appeared to go smoothly, but there are a few key things he can improve upon.

Control - Darvish’s worst enemy is himself. He has the talent to overwhelm any major league hitter when he is on. When he loses control and falls behind in counts, he loses his innate advantage. Last year Darvish’s walks seemed to come in clusters. He needs to be quicker at adjusting his mechanics mid-game. If he can auto-correct and cut down on his walks, his whole performance will improve.

Stamina - Like all rookies, Darvish was no exception to the rookie wall. It was his first time pitching the grueling MLB schedule. He had to work on fewer days rest and he had to pitch more games than he did in Japan. By building up his body and conditioning in the off-season, his stamina should see an improvement.

Let it loose factor - Darvish seemed very tight on the mound last year. Almost tense. When Darvish was at his most dominating peak in Japan, he had a looseness to his game. Last year it felt like Darvish was trying to blend in and not make a splash. This affected even his mound presence. If Darvish can get back to his free-wheeling style, even more batters will be mowed down this season.

YU DARVISH FIRST HALF GRADE: B-

As we approach the halfway mark of the Major League Baseball season, it’s time to evaluate how Yu Darvish has performed so far. I’ve broken down his season into several key categories that I’ve been monitoring. It’s been a great first half, but there is definitely room for improvement. He hasn’t reached his potential yet, but he has still managed to achieve solid success.

MOUND PRESENCE: A

From his first start, Darvish has shown no fear or signs of jitters on a major league mound. With his 6’5” frame, he has an intimidating presence on the mound, and so far his composure, under tremendous hype and pressure, has been noteworthy.

QUALITY OF PITCHES: B

Darvish’s pitches have been impressive. He is drawing praise for how he can make the ball move in all directions. Oddly, it seems his fastball is his shakiest pitch. His breaking and off speed pitches have been incredible. He has made dozens of major league batters look like little leaguers. This accounts for his 100+ strikeout totals through half a season. Once he reigns in his fastball, he will be virtually unhittable.

CONSISTENCY: C

Darvish has double digit wins through just half of a season, but a few of those wins speak more to the power of the Texas Rangers’ offense than Yu’s pitching level. Frankly, his record could be quite ugly. A true ace needs to bring his A game, every time out. So far, we don’t know which Yu Darvish we will get when he takes the hill. Sometimes he has an assassin’s accuracy, other times, he plods through innings with high pitch counts and sloppy finish.

WALKS: F

Darvish needs to stop walking hitters immediately. This is the one part of his game that is most damaging to him reaching his potential. He never had this problem in Japan, so it’s fair to say this is a mental issue. While there are some difference in the strike zone and size of the baseball, Darvish has the talent to get it over the plate more. Maybe he is in awe of MLB hitters still, and is reluctant to go right after them. But simply put, the games where he minimizes his walks, he is among the game’s best hurlers. 

INTANGIBLES: A

Darvish has come into a very tight knit Texas clubhouse, and has won acceptance from day one. It’s apparent in how his teammates talk and joke around about him. When you see the dugout cam during the game, Yu is often laughing with his teammates on the front steps of the dugout. This kind of bonding doesn’t always happen with foreign players. There is a tendency for foreign players to drift to the edge of team culture, and remain an enigma that only communicates through a straight-faced translator. Darvish has already flipped this notion on its head, and by all accounts seems to be one of the boys.

YU-NESS – B+

How much like ‘Yu’ has Yu been so far? Yu has sacrificed some of the rock star swagger he had in Japan in an effort to fit into his new environment. When he realizes that the MLB does not demand a bukatsu like stoicness, and that he can let his own particular personality shine, things will get really interesting. I look forward to Yu settling in and being more comfortable on the mound and eventually with the media as well.

Darvish versus Houston

Darvish responded well after the Rangers gave him eight days of rest. Maybe Texas should move to a seven-man rotation to closer simulate the kind of rest Darvish got in Japan. Fatigue and being able to handle the heavy demands of the major league calendar was a major concern surrounding Darvish’s signing. This experiment certainly proves a well-rested Darvish is a better rested Darvish. The question remains, can Darvish adjust his body and workload to fit into the major league requirements?

Darvish’s dominance of the Astros wasn’t entirely about getting enough rest. The way he worked the batters and approached the game was consistent with the previous successful games he’s had. The secret to a dominant Darvish performance is throwing first pitch strikes. When he allows himself to get the ball over early, he stays ahead and puts himself in a position to close batters out. When he nibbles and gets too fine with his fastball, he loses his command and confidence, which leads to walks and eventually high run totals.

Against the Astros, Darvish was able to locate his fastball on both sides of the plate, often going outside and then inside to the same batter. This kept the Astro hitters off balance and looking very uncomfortable trying to hit against Darvish. His curveball was also on, as it usually is, but was even more effective since his fastball was accurate. In the past we have seen Darvish trying too hard to outthink his opponents and throwing a lot of first pitch off speed stuff. Against Houston, he didn’t try to be tricky, he just established his dominance early and often.

In Darvish’s disastrous start against Oakland, you could almost see the gears in his head turning, reducing the game of baseball to an over complicated game of chess. It looked as though Darvish thought every batter would hit a massive home run against him. You can’t pitch like that. Out of that mindset, Darvish was reluctant to throw the ball confidently over the plate, and the walks and runs piled up fast.

There was no fear in Darvish’s game against the Astros. As a result, it was only the Houston batters who looked nervous and overmatched. Darvish’s talent coupled with his confidence are his greatest weapons. If he keeps those with him, he can win the Cy Young award. If he forgets them, I’m sure there are triple A pitchers that can outperform him. Texas gave him the pile of gold to be the rockstar he was in Japan. 

And against Houston last weekend, his game looked worthy of a laser light show and a ten-minute guitar solo.

Darvish’s Mentality: A+

A very subtle thing happened during Yu Darvish’s last start. He started the game against the Angels in a matchup against the man he replaced in the Texas rotation, CJ Wilson.

Then it started raining.

Two hours later the rain stopped. Darvish returned to the hill. Wilson did not.

In the modern baseball era, this is unheard of. The thinking is to shut down a pitcher during a rain delay, and have a fresh arm gear up for when the play resumes. It’s curious that the Rangers would allow their 100 million dollar investment to buck this conventional baseball wisdom.

Critics question his coaches. I extol his virtue as a breed of pitcher that has been systematically destroyed in the majors. The Gamer.

For the Gamer, it’s not a matter that can be settled in a contract or more endorsement deals. The Gamer cares about one thing only. The Game itself. He cares that his reputation, concentration and dedication be conceded under no circumstances. The Gamer will not compromise. The Gamer will snarl, spit and swear at you if you try to mess with him or force him into relenting. The Gamer will vilify all who stand in his way. Friend or Foe. Manager or Umpire. No one is allowed to get between the Gamer and his sense of honor.

In his refusal to be benched after a lengthy rain delay, Yu Darvish cemented his young reputation as a Gamer. The dollars and cents are for his agents and management to haggle over. When negotiations are done, Yu Darvish will give his unwavering commitment to his team. And the results are speaking for themselves.

I don’t know what Darvish said to his coaches, or how he threatened them, but manager Ron Washington indicated that his Gamer left no other options than for him to resume pitching.

I give Darvish two wins. One for the scoreboard, and the other in the willpower department. Talent and willpower are an unfair combination for a pitcher to take to the mound.

Darvish 2 - Wilson 0

Yu Darvish Versus the Blue Jays

After his dominating start against the Blue Jays, Yu Darvish stands at 4-0 with an ERA hovering around 2. It’s only a sample from the first month, but those numbers seem a lot like his numbers in Japan.

It’s true that Darvish has improved in each one of his starts so far. Against the Blue Jays, he had even more swagger than he had against the Yankees. He is starting to realize that when he has his best stuff, there is no one in the world that can hit him. When the ball floats up and he misses his spots, he is as hittable as anyone. They key for Darvish and for any pitcher is to minimize mistakes up in the zone.

Watching the condensed version of Darvish’s performance against the Jays, Darvish put on a display of pinpoint accuracy. It actually reminded me of watching a sped up version of Greg Maddux. When the catcher set up on the outside corner, Darvish assaulted the target with balls that zeroes from above, as well as curving left and right. There was a wide variety of motion on the pitches to the same spot. This is the recipe for unhittability.

What’s really impressing me is that Darvish has started to throw a change-up on a regular basis. He already has one of the league’s nastiest slider and curveball. So to add something that changes pace on top of lethal breaking balls is utterly unfair to opposing batters.

If Darvish stays as consistent with his pitch location as he did against Toronto, there is no reason he can’t go 4-0 next month as well.

Cowboy hats off to the AL Rookie of the month. Yu Darvish.

Yu Darvish Spanks the Yanks

Darvish displayed the first signs of his major league mojo yesterday against the Yankees.

His control was sharp, throwing 83 strikes over the course of 8 and 1/3 innings of scoreless ball. That is one of the higher strike totals in the majors this year. I especially liked his swagger coming of the mound. He had the look of a dude who knows he is the Man.

In his previous starts, Darvish seemed to only have mastery of one of his pitches at a time. So far his curveball has been his most dominant pitch. But against the Yankees, Darvish was locating both of his fastballs, throwing a cutter with nasty movement, and knifing in and out of the zone with his slider and curve. It’s unconfirmed, but it even looked like he threw a couple of change-ups. I have never noticed Darvish throwing a change-up before. In Japan he had no need for one. But in the majors, adding a change of pace pitch will make him all the more deadly. Maybe this is the first sign of his tutelage by the brothers Maddux.

If Darvish is this consistent with locating all of his pitches, he will be unstoppable. Any time his game is on like it was against the Yankees, no major league lineups will have success.

He has gotten into trouble when his breaking balls are not sharp and when his fastball drifts into the middle of the plate. That happened a few times against the Yankees, but he was able to isolate those mistakes and strand all runners.

A quality start like this is a big step to calming down the haters and solidifying Darvish as a major league ace in the making.

Looking forward to his next time out.

Yu Darvish Versus the Twins

Darvish is making some very fast adjustments.

The biggest thing I noticed in Darvish’s second start of the season was that he simplified his motion from the windup. In the first start he pumped his gloved over his head, but against the Twins, he eliminated that. It makes his presence on the mound similar to how Randy Johnson used to appear before he pitched. This will be good in the long run.

Darvish also looked very relaxed on the mound. He still had issues with his control at times, but overall, this game felt more solid than his debut. When his breaking pitches are on, they are deadly, even at the major league level. He needs to make sure he keeps his fastball away from the middle of the plate. That’s when he gets hit. With his speed hovering around 91-92 MPH, he will not blow the ball by hitters the way he did in Japan. I haven’t seen him throw any change-ups yet. I’m thinking that would be a great weapon the Maddux brothers could start tutoring him on.

Overall, I’m damn impressed with Darvish’s transition so far. He isn’t dominating, but he has the look and feel of a major league ace. With some more experience and consistency, I think Darvish can evolve into a Mark Prior / Adam Wainwright type of fastball pitcher with great breaking stuff.

On Darvish’s Debut: Yu Gets the ‘W’

So Darvish looked awful in the first inning, but then settled down, had a decent stretch and ultimately recorded the first major league win of his young career. I hope he buys his teammates big, fat Texas style steak dinners after this one, because the Rangers’ offense saved the day in this one.

Darvish had a terrible start. Maybe it was nerves, or the hype, or the Texas accents. Whatever the reason, there is no excuse to walk three batters in one inning. That’s just sloppy pitching. The main thing I noticed was that Darvish looks really uncomfortable out of the wind-up. It’s something he avoided in Japan for some reason, but he will be expected to master and dominate out of the windup in the big leagues. I’m glad his first game is out of the way. The first inning let all the haters come out to play on Twitter and the blogs.

Now we’ll all get to see what this guy is made of. I hope the fact that he got the ‘W’ doesn’t cloud his memory of a very shaky start. Darvish can be sharper, and he needs to strive to be perfect for this thing to work out. His teammates won’t spot him 11 runs every time out. Sometimes he might only get 8.

No excuses. Just get better each time out.

Yu Darvish: What to Expect

Yu Darvish is not a video game player.

He won’t strike out every hitter he faces in the major leagues.

He won’t be the numbers he put up in Japan.

He will be something else.

If he works hard, and mentally adapts to the MLB atmosphere, he can still dominate. He cannot pitch in a vacuum. He needs to develop a killer mental game. He has said in the past that he doesn’t see the batters when he pitches. That he just tries to make great pitches. That works in a bullpen session, and maybe it worked in Japan, but it won’t work against major league caliber batters.

For any pitcher to be successful, they need to be ready for psychological warfare. And they need to have the mental wits to know how to win on that kind of baseball battlefield.

Darvish needs to acknowledge the skill of his opponents, fear what they’re capable of, and then spend all of his mental energy finding ways to think circles around them. Great pitches are the foundation of a great pitcher. But a great mental game is far harder to come by. Pitches, on their own, exist in a vacuum. They are mere executions. Their movement and velocity don’t matter if they are not surprising enough to fool batter after batter. The soul of a legendary pitcher is a love and mastery of the mental game of baseball. This is the attribute that lets them outthink and defeat the game’s equally skilled hitters.

I hope someone is working with Darvish on the psychological subtleties of pitching. 

It will be interesting to see what kind of advice the Maddux brothers give Darvish. So far they’ve only been talking execution and form. But I know at least Greg Maddux knows how to outthink anyone who would dare hold a bat and attempt to face him.

If Darvish develops the mental game, he will be a top 5 talent. If not, there is a much broader and unforgiving range of skill level he will fall into.