Yu Darvish: Texas Rangers Should Not Be Scared to Make High Bid

Japanese pitchers don't exactly have a sparkling reputation for coming to an American team and being lights-out. The names Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa are known in infamy around New York Yankees parts, and Dice-K has been less than advertised for the Boston Red Sox. But should the Texas Rangers have the opportunity to bid on Yu Darvish, the 25-year-old ace of the Nippon-Ham Fighters, they should act. 

The Rangers are at the height of their franchise's popularity right now, and will spend the next two or three seasons trying to keep it that way. Team president/owner Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels know this team has a great shot to make it three World Series appearances in a row. Their moves the last several seasons put the team in the good position it is now.

Debate on what Darvish will accomplish in the majors will be fierce, but Texas has the personnel, the coaching staff, and the cash to give the young right-hander the best chance to succeed in his first attempt at the MLB level.

The Rangers have three pitchers in Colby Lewis, Yoshinori Tateyama and Koji Uehara that have played in Japan at some point during their career. Tateyama was a teammate of Darvish for four seasons on the Fighters, and Lewis and Uehara are both veterans who have multiple years in both leagues. 

They have pitching coach Mike Maddux, as of right now, and manager Ron Washington. And of equal importance, they have the money and chance to win that only the Yankees and Red Sox should be able to match. It will likely take $75-90 million in a posting bid and contract, but considering the departure of C.J. Wilson and increased revenue after back-to-back Series appearances, they have the cash to throw around. 

Since no one other than Hideo Nomo has come to the big leagues and made a lasting impact with his performance on the field, skepticism, criticism and doubt will be high in whatever city Darvish ends up negotiating with.  

But before throwing the stats of former Japanese league starters around, consider a few personal ones.

At the time of their major league debut, the average age of a Japanese pitcher is 31. Now granted, not all pitchers who come from Japan are starters. The average age of starters at the time of their debut is 29-and-a-half. Darvish is 25, and currently in his prime after completing six seasons for his current team.

Most Japanese pitchers arrive during an extreme part of their career. Kenshin Kawakami made his debut for the Atlanta Braves at age 34, after winning more than 100 games in Japan. Kaz Tadano came to the Cleveland Indians at age 24, with virtually no experience other than his high school career.

Darvish is somewhere in the middle, entering the Nippon Professional Baseball League at age 19 in 2005. His past six seasons in the NPB are impressive, compiling a 93-38 record and an ERA of 1.99. He has also recorded 1,259 total strikeouts, leading the league in three of his six campaigns.

If Texas is able to pull off the negotiating rights to Darvish, they give him the best chance to win. Pressure to be an ace will be less demanding in Texas than it will in Boston and New York, and the Rangers staff and personnel will work around the clock to allow him to comfortably ease in to a new city, ballpark and team. People say, "This guy is different," all the time, but I have a good feeling Darvish might be the piece to put Texas over the top in 2012.