Darvish Fails To Impress… At The Plate, Anyway

As opposed to past springs, this spring the Texas Rangers’ pitchers are taking turns hitting in the cage after they throw live batting practice. Whether to prepare them for interleague play or (fingers crossed) another World Series matchup, Texas’ hurlers are getting their cuts in--and 25-year-old Japanese phenom Yu Darvish’s is, reportedly, unimpressive.

Darvish, who is said to be ambidextrous, hits from both sides of the plate--but right or left, he’s not leaving a lasting impression on anyone.

“It's not a hitter's swing,” Rangers’ manager Ron Washington said this week, per the Dallas Morning News.

Of course, this isn’t of any major concern for us, or Rangers’ fans or the Rangers themselves. Darvish was brought in to be an ace in the American League, and hitting prowess does not an ace in the American League make.

For the record, Darvish was 4-for-30 with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese Pacific League, with nine strikeouts.