Yu Darvish: 10 Early Signs He'll Be an MLB Superstar

The Rangers' newest right-hander has arrived. Yu Darvish's first spring start was successful, and Rangers fans around the country are excited to see him in action once the season starts. The whole country will be paying attention, and the 25-year-old has a chance to become the next big MLB superstar.

Japanese pitchers before him have failed to live up to expectations, putting Yu's transition and performance under a microscope.

Yu Darvish came to the Rangers with expectations through the roof, and all signs suggest that he'll be able to live up to them.

Control

In his first spring start, Darvish threw 26 strikes out of 36 total pitches with no walks. He can pound the strike zone. Throwing strikes has been part of the Rangers' new pitching identity.

When Nolan Ryan got involved, he made it known that he expected their starters to go late into the game.

With an All-Star infield behind him, Darvish is sure to frustrate opposing ballclubs. Like former Texas ace Cliff Lee, Darvish looks to keep the ball in the zone and depend on his teammates' gloves—if batters make contact. On eight of the 26 strikes batters swung and failed to make contact.

Arsenal

We can only guess how many pitches Yu has in his arsenal. It's been reported that catcher Yorvit Torrealba called six pitches in his first start. Torrealba and Mike Napoli may need to resort to some other form of calling pitches outside of the traditional hand signals.  

"At one point, I was thinking of taking my glove off" to use the fingers on both hands to call pitches, Torrealba joked.

Regardless of how many plus pitches Darvish really has, it seems that it's more than the average major leaguer. While some believe that lineups will catch up, it'll prove to be a tough task, as he has the potential to show an entirely different look from batter to batter.

Deception

With his long frame and wide array of pitches, Darvish is going to miss bats. His first start featured three  strikeouts in two innings.

He features a 94-95 MPH fastball and junk that touches the 60s. Rangers writer Jamey Newberg put it best in his tweet.

Darvish is going to dazzle audiences in the stands and on television with his deception.

Fielding

Darvish's glove has already been tested. He takes pride in his fielding as well. He won the Japanese equivalent to the Gold Glove already.

His big frame can move.

When Darvish jumped up to snag a high grounder and throw out Will Venable at the plate, the Japanese media chalked it up to classic Yu. He's been described as one of the most athletic pitchers they've ever had.

Interviews

Darvish speaks through a translator, but he's quick-witted. He already claimed that the towering double Will Venable hit off him in his first start wasn't hit squarely, although some Japanese media members said he may have been misinterpreted.

He isn't Ichiro or Daisuke Matsuzaka. He's a young kid who knows he's one of the best.

Reporters are going to flock to games that he pitches. He'll have an answer for whatever questions they ask.

Anyone who shows up in a shirt garnished with a marijuana leaf (it was—I don't care what he said it was) definitely isn't shy.

He'll charm America or make it sick with his lack of humbleness. Either way, people will pay attention.

Damage Control

Darvish's second start was not nearly as good as his first. Cliff Lee had an atrocious first start as a Ranger. Doc Halladay looks questionable this spring. It's not the end of the world.

Twice with the bases loaded, Darvish produced ground balls. One made it through the infield, but the other ended up being a double play.

Torrealba threw out two would-be base-stealers. While Yorvitt is a great defensive catcher, he isn't Yadier Molina. Darvish's ability to keep runners from earning a jump is a big part of that.

He showed that he can work out of jams.

Team Player

Darvish is already showing he is a team player. He said that he would have given up 10 runs if Torrealba wasn't catching. Lifting the team up is what the Rangers do, and it's contagious.

He's also joking around with Rangers fan favorite Mike Napoli on Twitter.

He understands what the Rangers have done the last couple of years, and he's happy to be a part of it.

Adjustments

Darvish was as advertised in Game 1. Game 2 was a different story. We'll get to see how the young pitcher adjusts. The pressure on him is incredible, and he doesn't seem to be cracking under it yet.

He's pitched mainly from the stretch, but he adjusts his stance based on how he feels. We may see some wind-up. We'll see him try out new pitches.

His adjustments are part of what makes him special. He's been scouted in Japan, and his earned run average got better every year. He'll adjust to the climate. He'll adjust to the culture of baseball in the majors.

Carryover

Yu Darvish was the biggest sports star in Japan by far. The dude was the best, youngest and coolest. He was a rebel. He posed nude for a magazine. He was everywhere.

Some of that is going to carry over into the States.

Major league batters won't (or shouldn't) care what he did there, but the fans will know his name before he touches the mound in Arlington. He's already a fan favorite in Arlington, and if he keeps amazing audiences with perplexing punch-outs, he'll be a star in America.

Pressure

Over $100 million invested.

He's been described as the best Japanese product. Ever.

More people watch his bullpen sessions than visit the Trop in Tampa Bay every year.

There's a lot of pressure on Darvish. Whether they're hoping for failure or success, everyone will be paying attention. Darvish may not throw more balls than strikes in a start ever again. He may win the Cy Young. He may pitch three innings every time he touches the mound and go down as one of the biggest busts of all time.

My money is that Darvish impresses on the big stage. All year. It's only spring training, and we have a tendency to over-analyze everything that players do, but March Madness, the patchwork NBA season and the NHL all together don't compare to what Opening Day feels like.

Come Darvish's first start, he'll show us he's worth it.