Texas Rangers introduce prized import Darvish
LOS ANGELES â€" The Texas Rangers formally introduced prize acquisition Yu Darvish, saying the Japanese star pitcher is the kind of player they need as they strive for a World Series title.
"His physical talents are well-documented," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said at a much anticipated press conference at The Ballpark in Arlington, the Rangers' home field near Dallas.
"What we discovered is that his competitiveness, his inner drive, his work ethic are equal to his talent."
Darvish inked a six-year deal worth $60 million on Wednesday, shortly before the deadline for the Rangers to sign him or return him to the Japan League for the upcoming season.
The US club, runners-up in the last two World Series, bid a record $51.7 million last month simply for the rights for a 30-day period to negotiate a deal with Darvish.
The Rangers, who lost to San Francisco in the 2010 World Series and St. Louis in the 2011 championship final, beat out the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays for the rights just to make a deal with Darvish.
Looking serious in a suit and tie, Darvish answered questions through an interpreter in a press conference that was beamed live on mlb.com and in Japan.
The 25-year-old hurler said he was delighted to land with the Rangers, who had already made him feel like family.
"In January when I came over here, all the people I met made me feel like family. Their passion kind of made me feel strongly toward the Rangers," he said.
He was presented with his new number 11 Rangers jersey by manager Ron Washington, and said he was touched the club gave him the number he has worn throughout his Japanese pro career.
Darvish, a star with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan's Pacific League, will join the Rangers' starting rotation, which figures to be finalized next month when players report for pre-season training.
Darvish, who joined the Fighters in 2005 after high school, was born to an Iranian father and a Japanese mother. He was this season's highest-paid player in Japanese baseball at an estimated 500 million yen ($6.4 million) a season.
He said he was prepared for the scrutiny his move to the US Major Leagues would bring.
"Ever since I was a child, baseball was my life," he said. "Since I was young I have received a lot of attention. It's something that goes with it."
The key to coping with the pressure, he added, was to not get uptight and to keep an open mind.
As for his own expectations, Darvish said the upcoming season will be a time to try hard and learn a lot.
"Regarding this year, the only thing I can say is to make my starts and do my best for the team," he said. "I haven't faced any hitters yet. I think I'll learn and adjust as I go along."
Darvish knows he'll have to adapt off the field as well, and said he'd work at becoming more "Americanized".
Darvish went 18-6 last season for the Fighters with a 1.44 earned-run average and 276 strikeouts in 232 innings. At 6-foot-5 (196cm) and 216 pounds (98kg), his size and command of pitches figure to be baffling for US batters.
Darvish, who pitched for Japan in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic, has kept an earned-run average under 2.00 for the past five seasons in Japan. He has been the strikeout king three times and twice been named the Pacific League's Most Valuable Player.
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